Time's Scar
by steelguardsexual
Summary: Having lost everyone she held dear, Lightning now roams a new Ivalice without caring what goes on around her. Yet when she meets a boy with a certain familiarity about him, she finds that the past always makes a comeback. Sequel to Revenant.
1. Squire

**Author's Note:** _Here we are, my lovelies. The start of the final story. The beginning of the end. The finale to an epic. The-...Yeah, I'm done. Let's get on with this, shall we? I'm going to warn you ahead of time: since this is more of a prologue, things won't necessarily be explained right away. You'll probably figure out the influence of Lightning's appearance straight away, though. ;)_

_As always, this final first chapter is dedicated to my most loyal reviewers: __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__ and __**Joshua Chung**__!_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter One

Squire

_Sword in hand, a warrior clutches stone to breast  
In sword etched she her fading memories  
In stone, her tempered skill  
By sword attested, by stone revealed  
Their tale can now be told._

_I am Arazlam, student of Ivalice's Middle Age. You are familiar with the War of the Lions, no?_

_It was a bitter war of succession that rent the land of Ivalice in two. Here we first find mention of Delita Heiral, a hitherfore unknown young man, the hero who would draw the curtain of this dark act of our history._

_His is a heroism of great renown - a story familiar to all who dwell in this land._

_Ah, but what the eye sees is often a mere fragment of the truth._

_There was a young woman, a soldier with a piercing glare, they said; her past lost in her eternal years of life. For years I have searched for her, listened for her words, hoping to meet her, yet I have found nothing._

_There is no official record of the role she played on history's page, nor the people she called her comrades._

_However, according to the Durai Papers, the existence of which became known to the public only this last year - they had long concealed in Church archives - this forgotten young woman is, in fact, the true heroine._

_The Church maintains she was a heretic, an inciter of unrest and disturber of peace._

_Which account is to be believed?_

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"O Father, abandon not Your wayward children of Ivalice, but deliver us from our sins, that we might now find salvation..."

The Princess Ovelia was kneeling before the Church's altar, her hands clasped together and her head bowed. Behind her stood the Elder in his dark robes, and her holy-knight, the Lady Agrias, ever watching over her. The rain continued to pound on the faltering roof above their heads, and the distant cries of battle could still be heard. Ovelia closed her eyes and leaned forward, pressing her lips to the cold metal of the altar.

"Lady Ovelia," Agrias called, taking a step forward. "It is time."

"I'll not be much longer, Agrias," the Princess answered, smiling gently.

"Your escort may have already arrived, Majesty."

The Elder walked forward, his hand wrapped in cloth and his old eyes staring down at the young woman. "Please, heed the good lady's words, Highness," he pleaded. "You must hurry."

The doors crashed open, and three men waltzed into the small chamber without paying their respects to the recently deceased. The leader, an older man with graying hair, turned his curious glare to Ovelia, while Agrias continued to watch over her.

"Still in here, are you? It's been the better part of an hour!"

"Gaffgarion," Agrias spat, "you forget yourself, ser! You are in the presence of the Princess!"

The two mercenaries behind him automatically knelt down and bowed their heads, while Gaffgarion remained standing. A wide smirk played about his lips. "Mayhap bowed heads would less offend," he murmured. "You would do well to waste less time on idle pleasantries."

"I see even the noble Order of the Northern Sky cannot rid itself of vulgar knaves."

He shrugged his shoulders. "A guard captain in these rain-sodden hinterlands ought not to expect chivalry. We are in the employ of the Order, not of it. Our pay does not cover trite courtesies to the likes of you."

Agrias clenched her gloves fists. "Guard your tongue!"

At this, Ovelia stood up and faced the knights, her gray eyes piercing into their expressions and her red robe trailing behind her. "Enough," she demanded. "Let us be on our way. Where is my true escort, Agrias?"

"I know not. She was meant to arrive with these men."

Gaffgarion seemed appalled at the news. "She?" he scoffed. "The soldiers these days are not what they once were. You have fallen so far compared to the days of the Lost. If the Lord of the fallen Dalmasca were here, he would be ashamed."

"Mere stories of myths are not worthy of our ears," Agrias said with a shake of her head. "We do not speak of it."

As Ovelia faced the Elder, the two mercenaries behind their leader stood. The Elder took her hands in his and kissed them lightly. "The Father watch over you, child," he prayed, releasing her hands and smiling.

She returned the smile. "Thank you, Elder."

As thunder crashed over head, the doors opened once more and an injured knight of Agrias' stumbled into the Church. Her long hair was spotted with blood, and she clutched the gaping wound in her chest. Ovelia gasped, covering her mouth with both her hands.

"M'lady!" the female-knight called weakly. "The enemy is upon us!"

"Duke Goltanna's men?" the Elder questioned, turning toward Agrias. The holy-knight pushed past the mercenaries and rushed out of the chamber, into the pouring rain outside.

While the injured woman was tended to by the old man, Gaffgarion turned toward his men. "We are paid for this. Time to earn our keep," he commanded, then turned his eyes to the blond boy looking down at his feet. "What is it, Ramza? You above getting paid to do a job?"

Ramza turned his eyes upward, avoiding the concerned look of the Princess. "I'm a knight no longer. Just another sellsword."

"Right, then. To battle!"

Just as they turned toward the doorway, a woman stood in their path. With her head looking toward the ground and her light brown hair covering her eyes, it was hard to see who she was. Two small gold clasps and a metal-spun earring in each ear, a red greatsword on her belt, and the simple armor of a squire; Gaffgarion scoffed at her appearance.

"Hark, a vagrant. What is your purpose here?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I am her Majesty's escort."

"Your name?"

Lightning looked up at the old mercenary, her pale face searching for the slightest hint of real emotion on his face. "Claire, ser," she answered. "I am a squire of the Order, taught to do as her Majesty Ovelia bids."

"Woman should not be welcome in the Order." Gaffgarion shoved past her, the two younger mercenaries following him as he left. Lightning sighed quietly, gazing to the Princess at where she stood a short distance away.

"You are late," she murmured, frowning.

The squire hung her head low, attempting to bow. "Forgive me, your Majesty. It was wrong of me to allow my personal feeling to intrude on my promise to protect you."

"Perhaps I might find the means to forgive you if you would tell me of what held your attention."

"I can't."

Ovelia nodded, sauntering toward the door where the Elder had led the fallen-knight. "Very well, then we best be on our way." She paused, resting her hands on the wall beside her. Her gray eyes glanced back at the woman standing near the front door. "What did you say your name way, lady squire?"

"Claire, my Lady." Lightning cast her eyes downward. "Claire Bunansa."

"What a lovely name."

The Princess followed the Elder out into the courtyard, where droplets of rain came through the weak-wooded ceiling. The clouds continued to darken, and Lightning stepped forward and looked toward the sky. Rain fell upon on her face, but she only closed her eyes and stood still, earning attention of concern from Ovelia. But the squire refused to return her gaze - the gray eyes reminded her too much of the promise she made and would, eventually, break.

There was another crash of thunder, followed by a bright burst of light, and a man stormed into the courtyard. Awakening from her moment of clarity, Lightning drew the ragnarok blade and stood in front of the Princess. She recognized the man instantly just as he drew his longsword as well.

"Hiring a mere squire as your guard?" Delita asked the Princess, smirking. "I thought you above this."

He moved to reach for Ovelia, but before he could, Lightning side stepped and raised her blade, barely wincing from the weight of it. Their swords crossed, yet he managed to grab both her arms when she passed him. He twisted them, the bones of her wrists snapping, and he was surprised that she didn't even mewl in pain. Smirking widely, the squire raised her knee and forced it against his gut, knocking the wind out of him. Delita slammed his fist against her ankle and sent her to the floor when it cracked without warning.

"Lady Claire!" Ovelia gasped, attempting to move forward.

Lightning grabbed her ragnarok blade from the floor and stumbled to her feet, her wrists snapping back into place. The young man stared at her, eyes narrowed, but as soon as he regained composure, he charged forward with his sword and ran into the squire. The blade pierced into her stomach when she was caught off guard by the look of Ovelia's eyes.

Blood pooled out from her stomach when the sword was pulled out of her and she fell to her knees, her vision becoming clouded by both red and black. Lightning fingered for her sword, but her legs gave out and she collapsed onto the stone tiled floor.

Delita grabbed the Princess by the arm, making her cry out. "Unhand me!"

"This way. Be quick," he commanded of her. "And try to make a little less noise."

"I'll not take orders from you!"

"You've quite a mouth of you, Princess." He struck her with the hilt of his longsword, rendering her unconscious. Ovelia fell into his arms, limp and languid. "Forgive me," he muttered. "T'is your birth and faith that wrong you, not I."

Above, doors crashed open as Agrias, followed by an eager Ramza, rushed into the courtyard. The holy-knight''s eyes widened the moment she saw her Princess being carried away by the young man, and the woman lying dead on the floor.

"Hold there!" Agrias exclaimed, but Delita didn't heed her words and disappeared on the back of a chocobo. "Damn!"

The two ran down the stairs and made chase, and Lightning kept her silent vigil from where she laid. When the two returned, judging by the silence over them, she knew that their attempts to rescue Ovelia had failed. The woman, Agrias, bent down beside her and touched Lightning's wet hair.

"We should have not hired you to escort her away," she whispered, hanging her head low. Ramza stood by the door, staring at the cloudy distance with an empty look on his face. "I am sorry your life was spent."

To their surprise, Lightning groaned quietly and pushed herself up from the floor. Blood continued to drip from the wound in her stomach, and she pressed a hand against it as she cast as dark magick spell to heal herself. It was the only spell she knew, having been taught many years before by a viera. When the blood stopped flowing out, she looked up in time to be pulled up by the front of her armor by Agrias.

The holy-knight was none too happy to see that she was alive. "How could you?" she yelled, her normally quiet voice shrilling with anger. "The princess is lost because of your failure! You should remain dead for what you have done!"

"It's not my fault-" Lightning coughed, pushing the hands away from her. She reached for her ragnarok blade, relieved to see that it was still in one piece, and held it close once it was in her hands.

Before Agrias had the chance to strike her down, Ramza stepped in between them and held the woman back by the shoulders. "Please, we must not fight!"

"And you," the blonde snarled. "A common mercenary! I shall not ask of why _you_ stay."

The boy frowned, looking to his hands as the doors of the Church opened. Gaffgarion waltzed right in, followed by knights under Agrias' command. His eyes laid on Lightning as she fixed the skirt of her armored-dress, and she reluctantly met his old gaze. His words stung her non-beating heart, knowing all too well what she had done.

"You have failed the Princess."

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_I'll only be updating this story once a week after Thanksgiving weekend, unfortunately. I really want to spend more time on planning this out, since this is, after all, the last story of this series. *sniffle*_

_Anyone figure out my allusions to the previous main characters of this series, by chance? ;)_


	2. Guardian of Royalty

**Author's Note:** _You know, every time someone mentions how much they love when it snows during the wintertime, I start laughing my head off. Why? Hearing someone exclaim "I love __**snow**__!" is very funny when all you think of at the sound of the word "snow" is, well, the character Snow. Yes, I need a life. And, yes, I miss writing Snow. *sniffle*  
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_Thank you to my awesomely awesome reviewers, __**HopelessRomanticist**__, __**The Giant Daifuku**__ and __**Jimbobob5536**__ for leaving feedback for chapter 1!_

_Correct me if I'm wrong, but the FF wiki said that Ladd is named, well, Ladd. But, it also said he's called "Rad"...I'm confused! Also, I've created more original looks and personalities for Ladd, Alicia and Lavian since they were pretty much generic knights and squires in the game._

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Two

Guardian of Royalty

Lightning only listened as Agrias explained what happened to the knights and mercenaries that had returned from battle. She sat on one of the old chairs in the Church, sharpening the blade of the ragnarok sword with the metal guard on her fingerless gloves. Ramza seemed to be switching between watching her and Agrias, and also looked as if he was avoiding the glare from Gaffgarion. However, the moment Agrias mentioned how Ramza reacted as if he knew the man who had kidnapped Ovelia, the leader of the mercenaries turned his full attention to the boy.

"What's this, Ramza?" he exclaimed. "Do you know him?"

Ramza stayed silent. The holy-knight continued her pace across the floor, tapping a finger on her chin. "He carries the princess with him," she stated. "They'll not be able to travel far."

Gaffgarion scoffed. "You mean to give chase?"

"What else? I will not return to the Crown in shame!"

The old man faced his mercenaries, sticking his nose in the air and closing his eyes. "Well, you'll have no help from us! Our agreement said naught of this!"

"I would not accept your help even if you offered it. A true knight is all too eager to set right what he has let go amis." Agrias walked past the mercenaries and toward the door at the other end of the room. "The Lionsguard will serve the King's justice. Lavian, Alicia." Her two female-knights looked up from where they stood. "We leave at once!"

As she and her knights were about to walk through the door, Ramza took a few steps forward and clenched his fists. Lightning watched him with a raised eyebrow, sheathing her sword into the slot on her belt.

"I want to go with you!" he exclaimed. "I'll be no trouble to you, I swear it!"

Gaffgarion frowned. "Nonsense, Ramza! This is no concern of ours!"

"I must go! I must know if it's truly him!"

Lightning looked between the two mercenaries. So Ramza did know Delita, somehow. Agrias, too, seemed the slightest bit interested by the news, though she was careful to not show too much. But she couldn't hide the gentle twitch of a smile from one who had seen the emotions of humes for longer than any of them could imagine.

"The boy, eh?" the older mercenary asked, tilting his head to the side. Ramza only nodded, lowering his head. "Well, there it is. Gods know where this path will lead us." He looked to Lightning as if he'd only noticed that she was there. "And you, squire? You are to join us."

"I don't respond well to orders," she grumbled, sitting up and getting to her feet. She rested her hands on her hips, looking to all the knights and mercenaries standing around the Church. "You do know of the dangers that lie there, don't you? We'll be walking straight into death's tender embrace."

Agrias turned around from the door, and the two female-knights beside her seemed to be smirking. "It's your fault the Princess is lost. Whatever the Fates have for you there, I hope t'is dark."

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_**Circa Old Valendian 707**_

_"Honestly, Balthier, I see no point in coming back here. All the auracite was destroyed when I killed Feolthanos, remember? Searching the Glabados Ruins for treasure isn't going to bring us any profit."_

_He looked back at Fran and I with a wide smirk, and immediately I knew that he had something planned. Something that he wasn't willing to tell us, but still dragged us along on this poor excuse as a 'test in pirating' for me. Balthier continued on ahead, looking through each nook and cranny that he could find, hoping that there would be another hidden area that we'd forgotten to explore._

_As he walked along, I couldn't help but notice the necklace he wore around his neck. _My _necklace. The night after I defeated Feolthanos, I told Balthier to wear it. Well, more like demanded. But nonetheless, the thought that he would always have a part of me with him, even when he would be gone, comforted me. Maybe I just didn't want him to be alone in the afterlife, since I wasn't able to follow him. In exchange, he gave me the piece of the Cache of Glabados he'd kept with him since finding it, reminding me that even though auracite was no longer useful to us, it still meant something. What it meant, he didn't say._

_"This search is worthless," Fran murmured from where she walked beside me. "I know naught of what he seeks. Do you?"_

_My eyes darted to Balthier, still looking around for something—anything, it seemed. "No," I sighed. "He hasn't said a word to me about what he's looking for. You don't think his mind was messed up after what happened a few months ago, back when he was in the world of the Yarhi with me, do you?"_

_"T'is hard to understand what is going through his mind these days..."_

_A horde of undead found us, and amongst the frenzy I lost track of Balthier. I raised the diamond sword, conveniently borrowed from Ashe the day before, and cut down one of the zombies before dashing in the direction I'd last seen Balthier. Fran was briskly walking after me; I could hear the clacking of her heels as we went on, eying all around for a trace of that damned sky pirate._

_There were days when I wished I hadn't promised myself to keep him safe from death's embrace._

_An undead soldier crawled up from the cracked flooring and limped in front of me, and with a brush of her hand, Fran whispered a cura spell to knock it down. I felt a breeze of the spell move past me, and usually I would have felt the sting of white magick, but it seemed like finding Balthier distracted me from even the worst kind of pain I could feel. Then again, losing him was the worst feeling in the world. I'd only felt that feeling once before, and never again did I want to witness his death._

_As I kicked down the rusted door, another undead soldier reached out for me, screeching something in an unknown language, but its words were silenced by my sword. Fran tossed me a dark mote, sniffing the air as we walked through the door way._

_"Strange." Her eyes scanned the area. "He should have come this way. There's no where else for him to have gone."_

_"Guess that means he's hiding something from us."_

_I held my diamond sword at my side, peering around the corner in case there were more undead waiting there for us. Yeah, I was willing to kill my own kind. I didn't want to know whether I'd end up like them in the future, or not. I wasn't sure if being an Eternal was like being a normal flesh-eating undead, or like a god. Both weren't the best things, either._

_We found ourselves following the same path as we had when we were with Vaan's crew on the _Galbana_. It seemed so long ago. Back then, I would purposely avoid talking with Snow, even though it wasn't his fault that he had moved on. It wasn't even Ashe's fault. What happened just...happened. There wasn't anything I could do about it, nothing I could do to change the past. If I could change it, making Balthier an Eternal like me was the first thing on my list._

_Fran touched my shoulder, one of her tall ears leaning slightly toward the large chamber down the hall. I took the hint and started to run that way, holding an unneeded breath in my chest. She was right behind me the entire time, but I knew that she wasn't as worried as I was. She didn't need to be._

_"Balthier," I snarled the moment I saw him standing on top of the altar we'd found earlier that year._

_He looked at Fran and I only once, and that was when I saw the glowing pale stone in his gloved hands. Before I even had the chance to reach him, there was a flash of green light and Balthier vanished right before our eyes. Fran had to pull me away from the Ruins, because everything I knew at that time seemed to fall from my control and leave me behind._

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The fire burning in the pit at their feet had been the object of Lightning's attention since they were forced to stop their chase of Ovelia's kidnapper. Gaffgarion and Ladd had set up two tents without the help of Agrias and her knights, oand Ramza. Reluctantly, Lightning volunteered to be the look-out for the night, but, they refused her offer and told her to get some rest. She couldn't bring herself to tell them that she didn't need any.

It was Alicia, her pale blonde hair bright in even the dark of the night, who the first out of them all to talk to Lightning as if she had done nothing wrong. Lavian, the redhead knight, gladly voiced her opinion on having the squire there, clearly unhappy about how easily she was defeated by Delita.

"I've heard many things about him," she explained, leaning against the tree behind her. "He is all brains and no brawn. How was it that he managed to strike you down?"

Lightning looked up from the fire, and stared at the woman standing away from her and Alicia. "I...I got distracted," she replied, her reciting excuse for everything, it seemed. "I'm not used to fighting close combat with this sword, actually. I had a...smoother sword before it was destroyed in another fight."

"Tch. We shouldn't have allowed a mere squire protect her Majesty. For all we know, she is already among her Lost ancestors."

Agrias, from where she was calmly sitting away from the others, sighed quietly. "No, the Princess is still alive. If Goltanna's men wanted want her for dead, then why would they take her alive? She is not with her ancestors yet, and won't be for as long as I'm here to protect her."

"So it's true, then?" Ladd asked. "Princess Ovelia _is_ related to the Old Dalmascan family?"

"Dalmasca is a myth. The so-called Age of Technology never existed. There is no proof."

"How do you know that?" Lightning's lips were pulled into a scowl. Why was the woman contradicting herself? "We have knowledge of those times, and the fact that the Royal family is still alive to this day is proof enough!"

The holy-knight narrowed her eyes. "You would be wise to remain silent, squire. False beliefs will not do any good for the Princess, nor ourselves."

"My beliefs aren't _false_."

Gaffgarion looked over the tent he had just finished setting up, gray eyebrows raised, and Ladd tried his best to hide his growing curiosity. Ramza, on the other hand, remained silent as he took off the gloves on his hands. He looked to be distracted by his own thoughts, despite the obvious tension within the camp.

"Yet you persist in this foolish argument of a world that was not real." Agrias' eyes met the squire's, and for the first time, Lightning could clearly see that she was lying. She was just hiding it from herself and others. "Your persistence must be why you have yet to obtain the title of knight in the Order. You are blind to what is right in front of you."

Lightning stood up, grabbing her ragnarok sword from where it was resting against a log, and stormed out of the camp. Ramza looked to Agrias, and when she refused to move from her sitting position, he looked to his mercenary commander with a faint pleading expression. The older man sighed heavily before picking up his sword and heading off after the squire.

He found her standing at the foot of a miniature water fall, staring at the sword in her hands. Lightning knew he was there, but she chose not to face him. Either she didn't want him to see the absence of emotion in her eyes, or to reveal that she wanted nothing more than to just leave that _place_ and move on. But she knew that she couldn't.

"Tell me, lass," Gaffgarion said quietly, walking up behind her. "How is it you were chosen to guard the Princess Ovelia?"

She closed her eyes. "I made a promise to her Majesty long ago."

"To the princess?"

"_A_ princess." Lightning opened her eyes, still narrowed, and frowned. "No—a Queen."

The older man scoffed, placing his hand on the wall of the cliff and eying her. "Lies, that. What Queen do you speak of?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I spoke the truth. I've spent years guarding the Royal family, making sure that no harm came to them. If I were to let anything bad happen to the Princess...I'd be breaking that promise."

"But you are a mere squire."

She shrugged her shoulders, sliding the ragnarok blade back on her belt. "So they say. Is there some reason you're interrogating me?" she asked, facing Gaffgarion once she recovered.

He, surprisingly, laughed. "I am sorry. Curiosity?"

"Don't you know what curiosity killed?" Lightning sauntered past him, resting her hands behind her head. "Just a friendly word of advice."

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_Yes, Lightning's got issues. So does Agrias, but she totally put Light in her place. That's why I love herrrr. And, yeah, I'm changing the plot to fit my needs. Expect a lot of that. When will things start making sense? Who knows. ;)  
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	3. Breathe in Deep

**Author's Note:** _It feels like Christmas time already. Stupid snow, stupid radio stations playing Christmas music non-stop! It's only Thanksgiving! Sheesh. Well, let's be thankful for one thing: I updated again! :D Too bad this'll slow down once school starts up again next week..._

_Aw, I love my reviewers; __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__ and __**Joshua Chung.**_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Three

Breathe in Deep

Even though dawn had approached their camp, it still felt as if the night was upon Lightning as she laid underneath the small gathering of trees. Beside her the ragnarok blade laid inches from her hand, but she knew that she wouldn't have need for it while the others were resting. But having it there, always with her, gave her some comfort until she could find the last pieces to put her gunblade back together.

She fiddled with the auracite jewel around her neck, staring at the branches overhead. It was a shame that it was no longer active—it would have been nice to find a way back to where she felt normal. But, like the Ivalice she knew, Gran Pulse was probably nothing more than a pile of rubble beneath the dirt.

"Lightning?" Someone chuckled over her. "And here I thought the leading lady didn't have time for naps."

Dazedly sitting up at the sound of her old name, Lightning's eyes widened slightly when she found herself looking directly into the bright eyes of the hero himself—Snow Villiers. He looked no different from the day he left for the war against Rozarria, but the gaping stab wound in his chest was definitely _not _there before. The tiny wrinkles under his eyes and the paleness of his blond hair reminded her of the time that seemed to pass so quickly, and in his eyes was life itself; something she no longer had.

"Snow," she murmured, reaching for the ragnarok blade lying in the grass.

He looked at her puzzlingly, squinting his eyes. "Snow? Lady Claire, I know naught of who you speak."

Lightning shut her eyes tightly, and when she opened them again she was staring at the concerned expression of the young mercenary Ramza.

"I think you may have been dreaming," he said, shrugging his shoulders and smiling gently. "Don't worry, I will not tell the Lady Agrias that you dozed off while on guard duty. Even the mightiest knight needs rest."

"Yeah," she whispered, rubbing her eyes. "Thanks."

"The others are still resting." He knelt down beside her, looking toward the approaching sun. "Though, I am sure that the moment the Lady Agrias awakes, we'll be on the move once more."

"We'll find the Princess, if that's what you're worried about. She'll be safe once she's back with us."

Ramza shook his head. "No, it is not her I am worried about. Delita—he and I were once comrades. Friends. But I had thought...that he was among the Lost. I thought that he had died that day."

"Fate has a way of changing things." Gaffgarion was suddenly standing not too far from where they were sitting. He was leaning against one of the smaller trees, eyebrows raised at the two. "A terrible temptress, she is, yet one cannot help but sink their fangs into her fine neck."

"Gaffgarion, ser! How long have you been standing there?"

"Oh, not long." His dark eyes flickered in Lightning's direction. "My curiosity got the best of me once more, I'm afraid."

Standing up, Lightning picked up her ragnarok blade and sheathed it back onto her belt. "If you're awake, then the others must be, too. We better head back to the camp before that Agrias woman gets on our case for leaving."

"Hold on," Gaffgarion suddenly said, stopping her in place. "Lass, it seems as if your fair language has slipped your tongue. You sound like a heathen child—improper."

Lightning scowled. She'd forgotten that there were things other than her appearance that she was forced to change as time moved on. The new Ivalice was no Cocoon, that was for sure. "Apologies," she muttered. "It won't happen again, _ser_."

When they returned to the camp, Agrias completely ignored Lightning when she tried to apologize for her behavior the night before. At least Alicia, smiling and trying to cheer the squire up, understood her. The rest of the morning consisted of a march to the Zeirchele Falls, an area that reminded Lightning all too well of Gran Pulse, which, in turn, brought up the memory of the other l'Cie she had once called her family. And _him_. _He_ never seemed to leave her mind.

Ramza walked at her side, keeping her company while the others pretended as if she wasn't even there. Climbing the hills and cliffs distracted her mind for the time being, even though it was hard not to notice how much the young mercenary seemed to be watching her.

It wasn't until they reached a wooden bridge below a waterfall that his attention was turned elsewhere. Standing upon the weak bridge were Delita and the captured Ovelia, surrounded by Northern Sky Knights with their weapons drawn. Lightning reached for her blade, but Gaffgarion raised a hand and stopped her.

"Stand aside, ser!" called one of the knights. "You are defeated! Surrender the Princess, and no more blood must needs be spilt!"

Delita seemed unphased by their empty threats. "Do you so enjoy the taste of lies?" he asked, tilting his head to the side and keeping a firm arm around Ovelia's shoulders. "Your orders are to see the Princess dead! And once I've watched you feed the falls of her blood, I'm to believe you'd let me live, a witness to your crime?"

"What foolishness is this? We came to save the Princess, not to kill her! What could we possibly gain by Lady Ovelia's death? We wish to only see her freed from the Black Lion's claws!"

Agrias pushed past Gaffgarion and Lightning, drawing her longsword and rushing to the end of the cliffs. "Your Highness!" she cried.

The Princess looked up, eyes filling with tears at the sight of her guardian. "Agrias!"

One of the knights saw the ones standing against them and smirked. "Hm. It seems we are no longer alone. Gaffgarion! Kill them all!"

They turned to the older man, and Lightning clenched her fists when she saw the sudden grin on his face. "A change of plans," he merely stated. "But a contract is a contract, after all!"

"You traitor!" Lightning snapped, grabbing the hilt of her blade.

"Traitor? You have a viper's tongue, lass. Unfit for she who lies herself." The squire flinched, casting her eyes downward. "But I betray no one. I am in the Order's employ, and they are of it. My task was to see the Princess safely abducted. And theirs, to see the one responsible silenced."

"You mean to say," Agrias frowned, "the kidnapping was a ruse?"

"The Princess is an obstacle to the throne. So long as she lives, the threat remains that someone could assert her claim above Prince Orinus'. Two heirs are one too many!"

Below, Delita narrowed his eyes. "If her death is certain, then let it least not be in vain. Kill her if you must, but let it be held she was taken by Goltanna's men. Do that, and the stroke that fells a problem Princess at once brings down a rival Lion. That was no doubt Larg's plan all along..." He looked toward Ramza, who stood between Agrias and Lightning. "Or was it his? Such a plot has more the feel of Dycedarg's thinking. Would you not agree, Ramza?"

Lightning looked to the young man, wondering what Delita meant, but he refused to look her in the eyes. Gaffgarion shrugged his shoulders.

"That one has the right of it, Ramza. Come, let us earn our pay!"

The young mercenary furiously shook his head. "No, not again. I will not watch as sacrifices are made of the weak and the innocent. She will not be another Tietra!"

Not truly caring what motives the others had for fighting, Lightning unsheathed her blade and crossed swords with Gaffgarion. The ragnarok blade seemed heavier than it used to be, but she forced herself to get through the pain and took a step back, lowering one of her arms to keep her guard. When he pulled back, she ducked down and lunged for his legs, knocking him to the rocky ground beneath their feet.

Something slammed up against the back of her head, and her neck snapped when she fell against the stone. Spots appeared in front of her eyes, and despite the water fall pounding in her ears, Lightning was able to press her hand against the base of her neck and pull her head back into place. Gaffgarion, as he acknowledged the knight standing behind her, smirked when their eyes met.

"As I suspected," he breathed heavily. "You are not what you appear to be, lass."

"Shut up and fight," Lightning growled, pulling herself to her feet and holding out her sword. "Better yet—give up and get out of here!"

As the knight walked to his side, Gaffgarion pulled out a white pearl from his pocket. "The sensitivity to the subject of our Ivalice's past, and the lost look in your dead eyes. How many of your comrades have you seen die over these years? Did their deaths mean a thing to you?"

"None of your business!"

"That sword—I have heard of it in the old texts of Dalmasca from the old Marquis. And I heard you speak the late Lord of Dalmasca's name with Ramza." He raised his longsword toward her. "You are unfit to wield it. Yet I can see it in your eyes...The touch of the Divine lingers on you. Is that how you acquired its Destroyer's blade?"

"You don't even know half of it!"

Lightning blocked the young knight's sword when it slashed toward her with her arm, her upper lip curling when she felt the blood seep from the slice. When she turned her eyes away, Gaffgarion tossed the white pearl toward the two, and it shattered the moment it hit their blades. The white powder burned her skin, and Lightning lost her footing as she closed her eyes. Coughing violently, she fell to her knees and slammed her fist against the ground. Damn white magick!

She longed for the warm arms that would wrap around her each time white magick hit her skin, _his_ soothing voice never leaving her ears. But now it was all gone. Lightning cried out, forcing her legs to move and charging toward the old mercenary. Her ragnarok blade pierced into his shoulder, and she kicked him to the ground when she opened her eyes. The burning subsided just as Gaffgarion met her angered gaze.

"I see it now," he spluttered. "T'is not the Divine's touch upon you—another Lucavi has poisoned your mind. She holds you now."

He fled, along with the other knights of the Northern Sky, and Lightning cursed out loud just as Ramza joined her side. He touched her shoulder, and for a second his warmth seemed to melt her strained muscles. Lightning moved away, trudging down the rocks to the bridge across the water fall.

Agrias was standing close to Ovelia, keeping a guarded hand upon her shoulders, while Delita stood at the other end of the bridge, staring at those around him. Lightning stood between Lavian and Alicia, while Ladd seemed lost after seeing his leader betray them. As for Ramza—he faced his old friend with a mixed expression.

"Let the Princess stay with me," Delita stated. "She will be safer in my care."

Ramza folded his arms across his chest. "What is this game you play with us, Delita?"

"Game? I do no more than speak the truth. You've made an enemy of the entire Order of the Northern Sky. Where would you now take her? Think, Ramza. This was Duke Larg's plan—and he would not act without the counsel of the Queen." He frowned. "Would you then turn to Goltanna? No, that would be folly. He would only offer up your heads in hopes of keeping his own."

"And what, ser, would you propose to do?" Agrias asked, the slightest bit of venom in her voice.

"I would only do that which you, my lady, cannot."

"You speak in nothings." Ramza's faintly narrowed eyes met that of Delita.

"So I do. But pay it no mind. I shall leave her with you for yet a while longer." He began to leave, looking toward his chocobo at the other end of the cliffs, but Ramza stopped him, grabbing his arm.

"Delita," Ramza murmured. "I did not think we would meet again, but...I'm glad we have."

The Princess, only looking at the others once, faced the young man and bowed her head. "Know that you go with my thanks, ser Delita," she whispered.

Delita merely shook his head before walking away, disappearing behind the cliffs. Despite her clear frustration, Agrias turned to Ramza and Lightning. "I owe you my thanks as well," she stated, and Lightning wondered how much it bothered her to admit that. "But he's right. The Northern Sky will not be long in following us now."

"This is the path I've chosen." Ramza sighed heavily. "But, what now? Delita spoke the truth. We've no allies to whom we can turn."

Lightning, dusting off the front of her skirt as she walked forward, attempted a smile. "We could go to Lionel," she suggested, reluctantly. "The Church of Glabados rules there. They'll let us in."

"Cardinal Delacroix is there, as well." Agrias agreed, "We can seek his aid."

"We'd be beyond the reach of the Northern Order there, as well." The young mercenary nodded his head. "We make for Lionel, then."

**

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Lightning ended up taking them to the run-down shack she'd found refuge in since joining the Order. Lavian, Alicia and Ladd had decided to part ways for the time being, hoping to find any more safe places for the Princess and her guardians to hide. Their departure only left Lightning wishing that everyone would leave her alone.

As she walked into her room—if it could be called that—she immediately went to the bundle of blankets underneath her small bed. She unfolded the cloth, staring down at the broken pieces of her gunblade it contained. With a heartfelt sigh, she ran a hand along the dull blade and closed her eyes.

"Lady Claire, why are you in here by yourself?"

It was Ovelia. She stood in the door way, her hands folded together as she looked upon the squire standing before her. Lightning didn't bow, nor did she even acknowledge the girl's presence.

"You seem troubled," she continued. "Is something the matter?"

"I can't tell you. You...You wouldn't understand, your Highness." Lightning covered up her gunblade, carrying the bundle and sliding it under her bed once more. "And, besides, shouldn't you be with your guardian right now?"

"I wished to speak with you—alone." Ovelia seated herself on the bed, resting her hands in her lap. "Lady Claire, it has come to my attention that you're unwilling to aid us at the moment. Even when you tried to protect me just yesterday, it seemed as if you had something else on your mind."

The squire leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms. "Maybe," she murmured. "I'm just not accustomed to spending so much time with...strangers. I barely understand the truth behind what's going on with this corrupt society we live in, let alone who these people that want to kill you are. I'm just a soldier, nothing else."

"Don't you have family? Anyone who loves you?"

"Not...not anymore." Her fingers found their way to the violet auracite piece around her neck. "I lost my family years ago. And as for the one who loved me..." She turned away, staring at the wall and wishing that those damn tears could fall. "He's gone, too."

"I am sorry. It must be hard to lose someone so dear."

Lightning cast her eyes downward. "Yeah...It is."

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_*sniffle*..._


	4. Bunansa

**Author's Note:** _Why is this story so saaaad? I think I'm in capable of writing happy things. I looked over the first story in this series, and, oh my god, I miss the days of no angsty-ness. But, hey! My favorite machinist/our secondary main character shows up finally! Mustadio, how I love you. I hope you grow up to be just like Balthier...*purr*_

_And, yes. Lightning is having some issues right now. She's seeing people from her past, and being plagued by random memories...This will all make sense sooner or later, my lovelies._

_Thanks to __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__, **Joshua Chung** and __**Riku Uzumaki**__ for reviewing!_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Four

Bunansa

"How fares Lionel?" Agrias asked as she and Lightning, carrying a suspicious bundle of metal, walked side-by-side through the woods. Ovelia was close behind, her red hood covered the upper part of her face, and Ramza walked not too long after her. "I have heard that it is not as free as it once was."

"Compared to cities of the past, no." The female squire despised pretending that she knew nothing of the past, but she couldn't risk another heated argument between her and the holy-knight. She didn't think she could handle walking off on her own again. "It's hard to tell what freedom is, these days. But once we find Cardinal Delacroix and the Church of Glabados, her Majesty will be safe."

The Princess turned a curious eye to the two women. "Glabados," she whispered. "I have heard many tales of our Church, and the myths that go along with it. Do you know of them, Lady Claire?"

Agrias frowned. "Your Majesty, this is hardly the time for petty tales of—"

"I may know a few things," Lightning answered, barely smiling. "You have heard of the Saint Ajora Glabados, haven't you? He was born in the Lesalian city of Bervenia twelve centuries ago, and was raised in Milados. He preached non-stop of the coming of Paradise, and this infuriated the Pharist priests—and so the Holy Ydoran Empire hanged him as a traitor. When Mullonde, the center of Pharist teachings, sank into the sea, Ajora's disciples began to preach of his divinity, and eventually formed the Church of Glabados."

"Twelve centuries..."

Lightning nodded. "And instead of the Paradise he spoke of, the Cataclysm came and wiped out all of Ivalice's population but the humes. To think, it may have been Ajora himself that destroyed the viera, moogles, all of them."

"Is Glabados the original name of Saint Ajora?" Ramza asked.

"There was once a gather of ruins west of our land." She touched a hand to the auracite around her neck. "The Glabados Ruins in Bervenia."

"Saint Ajora was a good man, and he was killed by false beliefs." Ovelia stubbornly tilted her head upward. "Those who call him a false profit are not to be trusted themselves."

"Only those who lived in his time know of his true intentions. Yet, one cannot help but wonder if he truly was as they say."

At last they arrived in the next city, a small boorish town by the name of Zarland. It was once called the Castled City, famous for its some-what homely qualities, but Lightning felt that the town had become more of what Balfonheim changed into after the death of the Pirate King Rikken. Definitely not the best place for a Princess, but there wasn't any where else they could turn in for the night. Lionel was still quite a distance away.

Agrias was uneasy about the condition of the small shack Lightning managed to find for them, claiming that it was where she used to live in once and a while. No one disagreed with her, noticing the sudden silver glint in her aqua eyes.

"We'll be fine here," she had sternly told the three. "This is just for one night—that's all. We'll make for Lionel when the dawn returns."

While the holy knight remained with the Princess Ovelia, Lightning and Ramza left their hiding place in search of any supplies and food in the seemingly unpopulated town. The night sky was upon them, and the dim street lights did little to shine the way though the roads, but Lightning had no need of them. She could see perfectly well without any form of light, but she wasn't ready to reveal her secret to Ramza just yet. Hence, why she volunteered to go along with him to find supplies. She'd forgotten that humes needed to eat every now and then.

The young mercenary—though she longed to call him a knight, as he once was—didn't meet her eyes every time she looked in his direction, for some reason. There was something familiar about him, however. She couldn't quite place a finger on it, but there was a quality about him that reminded her of...

"What's going on in that head of yours, sis?"

Lightning shut her eyes, stopping in the middle of the road. She felt a warm hand grip her shoulder, and the quiet chuckling followed soon after.

"Go away," she hissed under her breath. Ramza would surely think she'd gone mad if he caught her talking to whatever it was that refused to leave her alone.

"Sheesh, still as tense as ever, aren't you?" When Lightning forced her eyes open, she resisted the temptation to slap Snow across the face. He looked the same as he had before, and that wound in his chest looked as if it had been dealt earlier that day, even. "I thought after spending so much time on your own, you would've learned to be a little nicer to people."

"Why won't you leave me alone?" she pleaded quietly, glancing to where Ramza was standing at the end of the street. "This isn't the best time, Snow."

He removed his hand from her shoulder, and she almost missed the feeling of another's warmth on his skin, even though he wasn't real. But just as he moved behind her, someone else appeared in her sight. Pale blond hair, tanned arms, and the common clothing of a Dalmascan thief. Grinning widely, Vaan waved a hand in front of her dazed eyes.

"Earth to Lightning! You better start moving. That guy you're going around the town with might get suspicious if you don't get back to normal soon."

She pushed past the thief, clenching her eyes shut as she started out into a brisk walk. Then she started to run, thinking that the ghosts, or whatever they were, were following her. Suddenly she fell against someone, nearly falling to the street.

Ramza stared at her, confused. "Lady Claire, are you all right?" he asked. "You look as if you've seen a ghost."

Lightning shook her head. "You have no idea," she murmured. "I'm fine. Just...lost track of time."

"You don't remember, do you?"

She looked up at him, fixing the skirt of her armor. "Pardon?"

There was a sudden intense look in his eyes, the same look he'd gotten when he was reunited with Delita. "When I was but a boy...There was a woman who visited me with a man by the name of Cidolfus. I took hold of her ragnarok greatsword, attempted to use it, and when my father scolded me, she found it amusing that I had chosen that sword to use." He almost smiled. "She stayed with my family for the next few days, and told me of a world before our own. She taught me how to properly use a blade in battle—and it was she who influenced my decision to become a knight."

Eyes unmoving, Lightning was silent. What had prompted his need to tell her about his past? Seeing ghosts?

"Even though I was but a toddler when we met, I remember you as clear as I see you now, Lady Claire. You haven't changed at all. In fact," he squinted his eyes, "It's been nearly two decades. How is it that you've not aged?"

She turned away from him, glancing all around. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about—"

"It _was_ you. It had to have been!"

"I'm not _her_ anymore!"

The sound of heavy footsteps invaded their conversation, and Lightning swerved around in time to see a young man run past her, followed by three swordsmen. The familiar scent of gun powder filled her senses, and without even thinking, she dashed after them. Confused once again, Ramza drew his sword and went after her.

"You've nowhere left to run!" she heard one of the men yell. "All we want is the Stone—we needn't take your life!"

The young man's voice was next, trapped in an alleyway. "What Stone? I have no Stone!"

Lightning stopped running, as did Ramza, and she peered around the corner of the old armory shop. The three men had cornered the boy, their blades and daggers prepared to strike him down.

"Do not play the fool with me, Mustadio!" the leader snarled. "Do you forget that we hold your father? It's simple. Give us the auracite, and your father lives." Hearing that term, Lightning gasped, but the swordsman motioned for his comrades to come closer. "Right, then. Seize him!"

She saw the boy's face, and her heart, if it could, would have stopped beating. Mustadio had blond hair tied back into a small ponytail, and he held a small pistol in his hands, clenching it to his chest. But his dark eyes—they looked so much like _his_. Lightning ignored Ramza's attempt to hold her back, not bothering to unsheathe her ragnarok blade, and walked into the their view. The leader raised an eyebrow at her sudden appearance.

"What's this? A she-witch defending this cur?"

"Why are you after the auracite?" she demanded. "There's none left in this world—"

"Enough words, girl!"

The first swordsman charged at her, but she let out a chuckle when she moved to the side and grabbed his dagger from his hands. She forced her knee against his groin, and he fell to the brick road with a thud. The next man came at her with dual blades, and just as she ducked down, Ramza jumped in front of her and parried his attacks. A bullet flew past her ear, and when she looked up, Mustadio had shot down the last man in one hit.

He was staring at her, some-what surprised, and didn't see that there was a mercenary standing on the roof over their heads. Lightning murmured something under her breath, and sent a Flare spell toward the attacker. He fell and collapsed in front of Mustadio, nearly scaring the boy out of his wits.

Ramza wiped the sweat from his brow and sheathed his sword, walking over to the two and sighing. "Are you all right?" he asked, looking at the one they'd rescued.

"I should be, yes," Mustadio answered, grinning weakly. "Thank you. You saved my life."

"It wouldn't have been right to leave you there to deal with those foul men. And, the Lady Claire seemed persistent to assist you..." The young knight looked around, making sure no one was left. "What is your name, by the way?"

The boy's grin widened. "I'm Mustadio. Mustadio Bunansa."

Ramza's eyes flickered in Lightning's direction, noticing her shocked expression. "I'm Ramza Beoulve. And this is the Lady Claire Bunansa. An odd coincidence, isn't it? It would seem the two of you share the same family name."

Mustadio curiously looked at the squire. "You're a Bunansa, as well?"

"I...I'm not blood related to them, no," she murmured. She couldn't bear to look him in the eyes. "I adopted the name a while back, after a...friend of mine passed away."

The tapping of impatient boots informed the three that someone was waiting for them; more specifically, a holy knight and her Princess. Agrias stood at the end of the alleyway, suspiciously eying the inert forms of the swordsmen. Behind her was Ovelia, staring at the three and smiling gently.

"Come, t'is almost night," Agrias called.

**

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Agrias and Ramza sat at the other end of the shack with Mustadio, while Lightning kept her distance and stayed with Ovelia. Or rather, the Princess stayed with her in order to comfort the seemingly troubled squire.

"Street dogs running for the Baert Trading Company," Mustadio spoke, telling the two of the men who had chased after him.

"_The_ Baert Trading Company?" the holy knight questioned, eyebrows raised.

"Ah, then you've heard of them. But they're no ordinary traders. That business is only a front for more...lucrative pursuits." Mustadio sighed, fixing the brown leather gloves on his hands. "Opium smuggling, slave trading—all manner of vile things, on a grand scale."

Ramza leaned back in his chair, resting his arms behind his head. "What did you do to draw the attention of such as these?"

"I'm a machinist. Do you know the history of my trade?"

While the knight shook his head, Agrias explained, "They say the ruins of a lost civilization lie buried beneath the streets of Goug, the Clockwork City. Relics from the age of Saint Ajora, when air ships numerous beyond counting filled the skies, and men of iron walked the city streets. But the art of crafting such things was lost," she scoffed, "if it ever truly existed at all."

Lightning turned her gaze away from the three, and although Ovelia had reached over and touched her hand, her mind slipped and wandered away on its own.

**

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_**Circa Old Valendian 723**_

_As we stood outside the palace of Archades, air ships of Dalmasca and Archadia alike flew above our heads after soldiers boarded them, leaving for the seemingly simple war. I would have been with them, but I was told to stay and watch over the Lady Ashe and Lord Larsa when their respective guardians left to fight. The crisp winter air brushed against us, and though I couldn't feel it on my skin, I could sense not only the coldness of the wind, but the tension and anxiousness of those around me._

_Ashe, ever radiant and beautiful, stood beside Larsa, now handsome and bold in his adult age. Both were wrapped in elegant robes and furs, wearing the colors of their countries in respect to those who were leaving to fight. At my other side stood Balthier, scowling as if he didn't want to be there, and Fran, who, as always, was unaffected by the change in mood and weather._

_Walking out from one of the transport ships was the King-Consort of Dalmasca himself_—_Snow. He wore the armor of a captain, bearing the sigmas of Archadia and Dalmasca on his shoulder guards, but not to my surprise, he still wore his trench coat. A knight and Lord he may have been, but he would always be that young, rebellious NORA leader to me._

_"Well, looks like this is it," he said to us, grinning as much as he could. The ragnarok blade was in its rightful place on his belt, shining even in the misty light around us. "The hero is off to fight another war. At least this time there won't be any mad gods thrown into the battle."_

_"Ice," Balthier droned, sounding bored, "it's been nearly twenty years and you still refuse to let me live that down..."_

_His smile widened. "Hey, the psychotic and greedy gods are what brought us all together! Ain't no way I'm going to forget about them so easily."_

_The Queen sighed heavily, shaking her head. "There are times when I wish you would."_

_"Don't we all," I couldn't help but chime in._

_I watched in silence as Snow said good-bye, just as Basch had an hour earlier. He held Ashe in his arms, reminding her how much he loved her, and only gave her one kiss before moving over to myself and the sky pirates. Fran only nodded to him, never wanting physical contact from anyone but Balthier, and so Snow stood in front of Balthier. The sky pirate was avoiding the taller man's eyes, pretending that he didn't even want to say good-bye._

_Without a word, Snow wrapped his arms around Balthier and pulled him close, and unexpectedly, his embrace was returned both gently and reluctantly. I think I was the only one who noticed, but Snow took longer to say good-bye to Balthier than anyone else_—_even Ashe, his wife._

_"All right, now," Balthier muttered, patting the blond's shoulder. "No need to get all teary eyed, Ice."_

_Snow moved his arms away, smiling sheepishly. I could see the small tears forming in his eyes. "Right, right. Sorry." He kept a hand on Balthier's shoulder when he turned around and looked at me. "Sis, take care of everyone for me, will you?"_

_"Will do, hero." I nodded._

_It wasn't long after that that he left us, only looking back once and waving. The _Leviathan_ took off, following the other air ships to Rozarria. My eyes found their way to Balthier, and judging by the blank and longing look on his face, staring at the place where Snow once was, he was thinking the same thing as me._

_That was the last time we ever saw our hero._

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"But it _did_ exist," Mustadio persisted, breaking Lightning away from her trance. "The ground beneath Goug holds the hulks of air ships, and a thousand fragments of machines the gods alone know the working of. A machinist toils to restore this lost legacy—to see these works brought back to life again."

Ovelia rested a hand on her squire's shoulder, and Lightning closed her eyes and huddled her legs close to her chest, leaning into her knees.

"This device you used during the battle," Ramza stated. "Is that one of these machines?"

"What, this?" He pulled out the pistol from his belt, grinning slyly. His eyes seemed to shine with intrigue. "This is a weapon called a "pistol". It uses an explosive powder to propel a metal projectile toward its target. This one is of simple make. There were once pistols said to fire projectiles infused with magicks...And even _swords_ that could do the very same!"

"Pistoled-swords?" Agrias crossed her arms. "How was that even possible?"

"Gunblades, they were called. The legends say that an angel from the other world brought the technology to Ivalice. But this technology was lost when the angel disappeared, and so the age of Ajora was lost, until now."

There was a pause of silence, and Lightning opened her eyes to see that Ovelia was carefully watching her. It was as if she knew exactly what it was that bothered her.

"So why do these hounds of the Baert Trading Company chase after you?" Agrias asked, ignoring the some-what odd look Ramza was giving her.

The machinist purposely avoided her question. "You said you were going to see the Cardinal Delacroix, yes? The cardinal is a hero who fought in the Fifty Years' War. To this day the people of Lionel honor him as such. As does my father. He believes that the cardinal is the only man who can keep the realm from descending into chaos. The cardinal will receive you, hear your plea. And the Princess will be safe."

"And what is it _you_ want?"

"To go with you. I have my own reason for wanting to speak with the cardinal."

"And that is?"

Mustadio bit his lower lip. "To save my father! He is held prisoner. The cardinal is my only hope to free him! Alone, I am just another machinist—the cardinal would never see me. That's why I would join you."

Agrias wasn't affected by his pitiful expression. "You still haven't answered my question. Why is the Baert Trading Company so interested in you? It is as you said; you're naught but a machinist."

He lowered his head, and Lightning recognized the way his shoulders slumped as if he were defeated. "I...I cannot tell you. Not now."

"Then you remain here."

"No! I must see the cardinal! You must trust me, please!"

Earning a glance from the squire, Ovelia stood up and waltzed over to the other three. Almost immediately, Ramza and Agrias knelt before her while Mustadio remained sitting in his chair, dumbfounded. Lightning got up, hesitantly standing behind the Princess and staring at the machinist.

"Very well, then," Ovelia answered for the others. "You will come with us."

A bright smile formed on Mustadio's lips. "You mean it? Thank you, my lady. Thank you!" He attempted to kneel before her, but almost fell on his face in the process.

She stifled a laugh, smiling kindly. "There is no need. You may rise."

Lightning found herself wondering if meeting Mustadio was a mere coincidence, as Ramza had said, or if there was something playing out before them. And so she looked toward the boy, staring at his dark eyes, and told herself that nothing would change; there was no one that could replace _him_, even if Mustadio looked just like him.

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_Someone, please, let something happy happen soon. *sniff*_

_By the way, unless you guys have already voted, there's a poll on my profile about the ending to this series. Should it be happy, or sad? I have a pretty good idea about how I'm ending this, but I still want to know what you guys have to say on the matter._

_Also on my profile is a link to my livejournal account, listed as my homepage. I'll be posting drabbles and, eventually, a few stories up on there that I don't necessarily want to post here on . I'd love to hear your guys' comments about whatever I post on there, so it would be much appreciated if you would take a look every now and then. So far, all I've posted is a to-do list, but any ideas or requests you have are welcome!_


	5. Stones of the Zodiac

**Author's Note:** _This will be the last update until this Saturday, where I'll be switching to one update per weekend. That'll give me more time to work on planning, as well as a new story I'll be starting on my livejournal. ;) Crossovers are fun._

_Thanks to __**HopelessRomanticist**__, __**The Giant Daifuku**__ and __**Riku Uzumaki**__ for reviewing chapter 4. Another long chapter full of Lightning angst and Mustadio cuteness. Expect epicness in the next chapter._

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Five

Stones of the Zodiac

"Our little mockingbird has taken wing, Gaffgarion, and it leaves me wroth." Dycedarg Beoulve sat across from the old mercenary as the two of them played a game of cards. He set the King of Spades card down, frowning. "We cannot have her free. Catch her, crush her, and make silent her song. Ramza's and others as well. Even my own brother cannot live as long as he chooses her side."

"And what of Lady Claire?" Gaffgarion asked, and the elder Beoulve brother met his gaze. "She cannot be killed. I have seen it myself. She carries a stone around her neck, but I know that is not the source of her invulnerability. I have reason to believe that she is not hume."

"Oh?"

Gaffgarion nodded, setting down two more cards. "Lady Claire spoke of Ivalice's past well, and often claimed that the myths are, indeed, true. I believe she is one of those creatures we were told as children in those stories."

"Immortal?"

"An _Eternal_. Blessed with eternal life by the gods themselves, but damned to walk the earth with tainted beings called humes. She lived in the Age of Technology and the Age of Saint Ajora. And now, she lives among us." The mercenary frowned. "Yet, why would she choose such a fate? Power? No, surely not. This fate was not her decision."

Dycedarg stared at him; the man was rambling again.

"An Eternal can only be created after the event of the death of their hume life. Lady Claire is an undead—and for that reason, she is untamed. It seems that we have a phoenix on our hands."

"Then no doubt she is a forced to be reckoned with."

"The blood curdles. If Cardinal Delacroix moves to defend the mockingbird and her phoenix, what then? Duke Larg himself could not reach them in the umbrage of the Church's wing."

Looking toward the window behind Gaffgarion, Dycedarg smirked. "Worry not. The potentiality has been addressed."

"Ever three steps ahead...You are a frightening man, Dycedarg Beoulve."

"Truly? Would it not be prudent, then, to better guard your tongue? There are so many frightening ways to silence a bothersome foe."

"Come now, my lord, I am your ever-faithful man! And not so near stubborn as a particular Knight Devout—if I might be so bold."

Dycedarg placed another card on the table before standing up and walking to the window. "Be bold. But let there be no more mis-steps."

"On the matter of mis-steps, what buffoon did you charge with the Princess' kidnapping? We were beset in Dorter as we gave chase. Not quite how we'd discussed, I'm sure you'd agree."

"The men I sent were found dead in the woods near the monastery. Someone has caught wind of our plan, and seems intent on disrupting it." He shook his head, sighing. "No matter. As long as Ovelia remains with the Ladies Agrias and Claire, we will have chance enough to steal back our prize."

"I pray you're right, for both our sakes."

**

* * *

**

Just outside the gates of Lionel, Lightning leaned her head back against the tree as she laid on one of the large branches. The others were finishing up with clearing their camp, and instead of helping them she chose to go off on her own and think. She opened her eyes as soon as she heard something rustling the branches of the tree, blinking slowly when she saw Mustadio hanging from the branch she was laying on. He waved at her, grinning.

"You've got to be kidding me..." She grabbed his free hand and pulled him up onto the branch with her, pulling away when she felt how warm his gloved hands were. As he shook the leaves from his head, she scooted a few inches away from him.

"I was wondering where you'd run off to, Lady Claire," he said, brushing off the last leaf. "Ramza said that you weren't in the best of moods, but I honestly didn't think that was possible. You seemed fine this morning."

"That was because I spent the entire night thinking to myself."

Mustadio was still smiling. "And you were clearly doing so right now, weren't you?" When she only stared at him, he looked away and bit his lower lip. "Um, well, anyway...I just wanted to see if you were all right. You've hardly said a word to me since what happened yesterday."

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. I just don't work well with groups."

"Why?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Look, kid—"

"I'm not a child!" He laughed. "You're only a few years older than me, aren't you?"

Lightning forced herself to look away. "Mustadio, you're...a nice _man_, but I don't want to share my life story with you. With anyone, for that matter."

"At least tell me one thing?" He fidgeted with the leave he held in his hands. "Your name—Bunansa. Who was the friend of yours that you adopted the name from?"

Back in the camp, Ramza was showing the Princess Ovelia how to whistle, while Agrias amusingly looked on. Lightning sighed, "I wish I had an answer for you. To be honest...I never truly knew who he was." With that, she pushed herself down from the tree and walked away, not knowing that Mustadio was watching her the whole time.

When they reached the inner part of Lionel, Agrias managed to arrange a meeting with the cardinal in his chambers. The old bald man, wearing regal robes of violet, sat at a candle-lit table as the group stood before him, though Lightning remained by the doorway and only listened as Agrias told the cardinal their story.

"I see, Lady Agrias." Delacroix frowned. "In such circumstances as this, I am fain to lend whatever help I can. I shall dispatch a courier to Mullonde at once. High Confessor Marcel will have this new from my own hand. We will expose Duke Larg's misdeeds, and ensure that no harm befall you, Princess."

"Your Eminence," Agrias said, stepping forward, "do you think the High Confessor will hear our plea?"

"Fear not, dear lady. You are in my care now. Princess Ovelia can scarce feel at ease while those tasked with her safety are vexed with such worriment. You may enjoy the comforts of the castle—wanting though they are—while we await a reply from Mullonde."

Ovelia bowed her head. "You are most gracious, Eminence. Thank you."

"So long as Saint Ajora is our guide, we have naught to fear, child." Delacroix looked at Mustadio, who, at that time, hadn't said a thing since explaining his situation to the old man. "As for you, my young machinist, I have given consideration to your troubles as well. I will send a hand-picked company of my finest men to Goug to put an end to this Baert Trading Company. Though, conditioned upon this: I would hear the reason they choose to pursue you and your father."

The machinist stammered, "That is—I mean to say, it's not—"

"Come, come. Mayhap this will give voice to your words." He pulled out a red stone from his robe pocket and set it down on the table. Lightning stood up straight, taking one step forward.

Agrias' eyebrows rose. "A crystal?"

"You are familiar with the legend of the Zodiac Braves?"

"In my youth, I often heard a fanciful tale of that name at mass."

"What's this? Surely, Lady Agrias, you do not believe that the Church would mislead its flock?"

She bowed her head, her blonde hair falling in front of her face. "No—no, of course not, Your Eminence."

Lightning walked forward and stood beside Ramza, looking down at the red stone. She remembered what she'd heard from a storyteller years before. "Long ago, before the mountains had ceased their wandering and struck their roots into the earth, the Lucavi held dominion over the world. Twelve humes calling themselves heroes came forward to challenge these Lucavi. In a long and bitter struggle, they succeeded in driving the Lucavi to the spirit world, and Ivalice found peace once again. The Twelve each bore an auracite crystal emblazoned with a house of the night sky. And so in time, they became known as the Zodiac Braves. Even after, when discord and strife paid visit to the halls of me, they would return to save us again."

"You have clearly been a most apt pupil, Lady Claire," Delacroix chimed.

"More or less. I've been told that Saint Ajora himself walked with the Twelve, and together they saved Ivalice from ruin."

"But you mustn't forget rumors of the other world. One ruled by gods of another kind, my Lady."

She cast her eyes downward. How did he know of that? "The creatures called the fal'Cie?"

"And did the Zodiac Braves banish those gods as well?" Ramza asked, resting a hand against the table.

"Not so," the cardinal answered. "There were other men who called themselves heroes that destroyed those beings. A story unknown to our people." He looked down at the stone. "We call the crystals of the Twelve the 'Zodiac Stones'. The stone you see before you now is a stone from that very legend."

The auracite began to sparkle, and Lightning found herself being drawn to it. It was _calling_ to her.

"Auracite—it exists?" Ovelia questioned, looking toward the cardinal. "I did not think it possible."

"Or that it held the sacred power to keep the Lucavi at bay, eh?" Delacroix almost laughed. "I confess, I feel some power deep within, but my eyes see only a common crystal."

"Is it...active?" Lightning stared down at the crystal in awe. "The power of auracite Stones was meant to be destroyed when that god—..." Her voice trailed off, seeing all of their eyes on her.

Ramza turned toward Mustadio, noticing how the boy hadn't said much since arriving there. "Mustadio, are you well? The color has left your face." The machinist ignored him, staring at the stone.

"You have seen a stone like this beneath Goug, have you not?" Delacroix asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Machines whose fires have long since been guttered out lie strewn in the tunnels beneath the city." Mustadio moved his eyes away from the glowing stone. "But pass that Stone near them, and you can hear them stir."

"Then Baert seeks the auracite, eh?"

Mustadio nodded. "I do not know what power these Zodiac Stones hold. I know that only Ludovich Baert hopes to find some way to harness this power, and make a fearsome weapon. My father would not give him the stone, so they took him instead."

"Put your worries from your mind, my young machinist. The Church will see this matter is dealt with. Our forces will strike, and wrest the Stone from their hands."

"Of...Of course, Your Eminence."

Ramza straightened his posture. "I will join the company that makes for Goug."

As they finished their discussion, Lightning continued to watch the auracite glow and touched the smaller piece around her neck. Any power left in the stones had been lost at the event of Feolthanos' death, so why was that stone still active? She felt her skin twinge at the thought: if she were to find enough auracite, and an air ship that worked, she could find a way to return to the past...

"They will leave by morning," Delacroix interrupted, and Lightning closed her eyes. "Rest now, my children."

**

* * *

**

As she unwrapped the cloth on the bed, Lightning held an un-needed breath in her chest as she stared at the pieces of the gunblade. All the parts were there, at least that was what she hoped. But now that she had collected all the missing pieces, what would she do? Her search for her gunblade was all she had done since _his_ death, and all she wanted was to find something that she could hold in her hands to remember _him_.

She only had the auracite necklace, but it felt like it wasn't enough.

Lightning frowned, and just as she moved to pick up the hilt of the gunblade, footsteps came up behind her, and soon she felt warm breath against the back of her neck.

"Is that...? A pistolsword?"

It was Mustadio, always curious for the wrong reasons. She gazed at the wall in front of them, calm. "A gunblade. I found it in...Goug before. I've been looking for all the pieces, but it seems that something is still missing."

"You've been to the city beneath Goug?" He sounded surprised. Mustadio stood beside her, wide eyes looking at the metal pieces laid out on the bed.

"I was curious. Air ships and weapons from the past...I wanted to see if I could find something."

"Something?"

She let out a weak laugh. "Yeah. Memories." She looked at him, as if she only noticed that it was him who was standing there. "Why are you here?"

"Curiosity? The others are far too busy with their own thoughts to remember that I'm even here. I thought that," he looked down, rubbing his chin uneasily, "perhaps you would talk with me."

"I am talking with you right now?"

Mustadio blinked slowly. "Claire, was that a jest?"

"Maybe." Lightning picked up the blade from the cloth and held it up, carefully examining it. It was barely caked with rust, since she had taken care of it since the day she found it in the city beneath Goug. Her reflection stared back at her, eyes empty and cold. Mustadio leaned over her shoulder.

"_White flash, call upon my name_?" He pursed his lips. "That sounds like...a burst of thunder, of—"

"Lightning." Their eyes met through the reflection. "That was what I used to be called."

"I thought your name was Claire."

"It _is_ my name. I just..." She shrugged. "I just liked being called something else."

Silence overcame them, and the machinist leaned over and peered down at all the pieces. His dark eyes seemed to shine even in the dim candle-light. "If you don't mind, could I try putting this back together?"

Lightning set the blade piece down. "Why?"

"I saw you fight with that other sword. The...ragnarok blade, was it? Greatswords are more the type for strong men, like the heroes in childrens' tales. I think this pistolsword would fit you better." As he picked up the cloth, gently wrapping the pieces back up, he grinned up at her. "It won't take me long. I can be done with it by morning. Consider it payment for helping me earlier."

"You don't really have to—"

"I insist, Lady Claire!"

A smile threatened to play at her lips, but before it could, she turned away and headed for the door. When she rested a hand on the door frame and paused, she looked back at the eager machinist. "Call me Light," she whispered, and then disappeared into the hall.

**

* * *

**

The sun light crept in the window when she awoke from her self induced slumber, by way of Sleep magick, and Lightning turned over on the bed and murmured quietly under her breath. When she stretched out her arm, she felt the heat of another body in her bed.

Mustadio, clutching a wrapped sword to his chest, was fast asleep beside her. He had been leaning against her back, despite the icy temperature of her skin. Lightning watched him sleep for a few moments before touching his shoulder. His dark eyes fluttered open, and lit up when he saw that she was awake.

"I hope you're pleased with how it turned out, he exclaimed, sitting up and holding the package out to her. She took it once she moved away from him, and slowly unwrapped it. Her gunblade looked as good as new—apart from the minor dents and mis-colored parts. "I added in something extra—to enlarge the piercing ability of the projectiles. Though, I wouldn't use it for battle just yet. The polish needs to settle before you go about destroying gods and the like."

Lightning ran a hand down the blade. "It's...just like it used to be."

"I would hope so. I just can't believe I've lived long enough to see an actual pistolsword!"

"It's perfect," she murmured, a gentle smile returning to her lips. "This...This means a lot to me. Thank you, Balthier."

Mustadio turned toward her, blankly staring as she realized what she had said. Lightning shut her eyes, holding the gunblade close, and wanted nothing more than to pretend that it was all a dream. She would wake up and would be back in her secluded house; alone, and without those dark eyes staring at her lost soul.

There was a knock at the door, stopping Mustadio from asking who _he_ was, and Agrias walked in. She didn't take notice to how tense and rigid Lightning looked, but she did notice the awkward silence between the pair.

"Mustadio," she said. "Ramza is ready to leave for Goug."

The machinist stood up and followed Agrias, but when he made it to the doorway, he turned around and looked at Lightning. Her back was turned toward him. Sighing quietly, he moved his gaze toward the floor before leaving.

"You're welcome, Light."

**

* * *

**

_Awh._


	6. To Be Damned

**Author's Note:** _This took me a long time. While writing this chapter, I sat in my TV room and watched _Miss Congeniality._ And my cat kept mooching for tuna flavored Fancy Feast...But, I've got a three day weekend! So, at least two updates this weekend. And, in two weeks, I've got winter break. Woot!_

_And, guess what, my lovelies...I have finished planning out this story! It will be about 21 chapters, which is almost as long as _Bad Bromance._ I don't want this series to end...But, I've got _**three** _more crossovers planned out! Two are completely random (you've influenced me, __**TGD**__!) and the other is my XII&IV crossover. When I finish my other XII story, I will be starting one of those stories. I just haven't decided which._

_My thanks, as always, goes to __**The Giant Daifuku**__,__** HopelessRomanticist**__, __**Joshua Chung**__ and __**Riku Uzumaki**__._

**

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**

**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Six

To Be Damned

"Lady Claire, you've not said a thing all day."

After clipping the gunblade's holster on her belt, Lightning turned her eyes to the Princess standing in the door way. Though it had only been a short time since Ramza and Mustadio left for Goug, she was already having second thoughts about choosing not going with them. Agrias didn't need her there to guard Ovelia, so why did she stay behind?

"I'm sorry, your Majesty." Lightning stood up straight, staring out the window of the small room. "I keep allowing myself to be distracted from my duties to you. It won't happen again, I promise."

Ovelia walked a few paces forward. "I see," she said with a frown. "May I ask you something? It has been bothering me for quite some time now, but...I was wondering if you could tell me why you are so dedicated in protecting me. You are but a squire, yet you fight like a old knight of the Order. You claim to know nothing of the current going-ons in our kingdom, but you know so much of Ivalice's past. Who are you, Lady Claire?"

"You're the third person to ask me that these past few days. I'm just a soldier. If anything else, I'm just trying to get through my life. That's it."

"When I look at you, I see a woman who has lost much and feels responsible for the things of the past." The Princess was standing behind her, resting a hand on the hilt of the ragnarok blade. Lightning hadn't abandoned the sword yet; she wasn't ready to let that part of her life go. "I understand if you don't wish to tell me what has been on your mind, but I can't help but wonder."

The squire folded her arms across her chest. "I've already told you all you need to know, your Majesty. I promised someone that I would protect the Royal family no matter what."

"Who?"

She faced Ovelia, steering away from her gray eyes. It wasn't hard to see that the blood of the brash Queen of Dalmasca and her heroic Lord ran through Ovelia's veins. Even if she hadn't kept watch over the many generations of their descendants, she knew the truth. But that didn't mean anyone else would.

"I'm sure Agrias is looking for you, your Majesty," Lightning muttered, putting the ragnarok on her belt. "I may be your voluntary guard, but that doesn't mean you can forget about your actual guardian."

The two of them returned to where Agrias was waiting, in the small chamber leading to the Church. The holy knight eyed Lightning when she walked past, sensing the discomfort and unease about her. Ovelia exchanged looks with her, though both of them didn't say anything. They made their way into the chamber that was lit with dim candle light and scented with cinnamon.

Lightning stopped after passing through the door way, gripping the hilt of her sword and holding out her arm to stop the other two women. The Princess frowned, peering over her shoulder with a questioning look.

"Ah, how pleasing it is to see you once more, Lady Claire."

The old mercenary Gaffgarion walked out from the row of pews, wielding dual blades rather than one as he had before. Lightning unsheathed the ragnarok blade, blocking the path for Agrias.

"Agrias," she hissed, "get the Princess out of here."

The holy knight ignored her, as usual. "You would do well to leave this place, Gaffgarion! We are protected by the Church of Saint Ajora!"

Gaffgarion let out a snarky laugh. "Are you, now?" He turned his head to the side, where another man walked out. Delacroix stood before them, and the Princess gasped weakly.

"I am sorry, your Majesty," he said. "But this is truly for the best."

Spinning around, Lightning took a step back and yelled to the Princess and her guard, "Get out of here! I'll cover your escape!"

"But, Lady Claire, we cannot leave you!" Ovelia cried, reaching out for her. "I won't leave, knowing that I've condemned you to death. I refuse to let that happen!"

"Don't worry about me, your Majesty. A mere mercenary can't put a scratch on me. I'll find you—I promise. Now, go!"

Agrias grabbed the Princess' hand and pulled her out the door, the gray eyes even haunting Lightning when they were gone. The squire pursed her lips when she turned around again, keeping her sword in front of her and forcing all of her thoughts out of her mind.

"It is true, then." Gaffgarion smirked. "You have lived for so long, lass. I wonder: are you still the warrior you once were?"

"Then I guess I'll just have to prove it to you, won't I?"

Yelling out, she clenched her sword and ran at him. Delacroix ducked down when the two nearly crossed swords into his skull, yelping out in fright. Gaffgarion held one of his swords backward when he blocked another attack sent his way, and with that blade he swung it at Lightning's legs. It sliced into her skin, yet she didn't even flinch and moved a few paces back to cast a dark magick spell.

The magick danced at her fingertips, and instead of directing the spell at herself, she released the Mist-charged energy at the old mercenary. He deflected it with a twirl of his blade, and laughed.

"An Eternal squire that casts magick?" he asked. "I _have_ seen it all now. How long did it take for you to learn the ways of the mage?"

Lightning scowled. "Not as long as you think, actually. I had one of the best teach me how, since I lost all knowledge of magick after I killed a god or two."

She stabbed the ragnarok blade into the floor and used it to propel herself as she ran in a circle. When she let go of the hilt, Lightning raised her legs and knocked Gaffgarion into the row of pews, gracefully landing on her feet. Resting the blade on her shoulder, she walked over to the mercenary and stood over him, almost smirking. She reached for her gunblade, but before she even had the chance to grab hold of it, something pierced into her back and through her stomach. Blood dripped from the dagger's tip, and she felt her legs lose all feeling. Lightning collapsed to the floor beside Gaffgarion, the blade still sticking out.

"Hell-cat," Delacroix spat as her vision began to fade. "Even the Eternal ones must fall."

**

* * *

**

The first thing Lightning noticed when she woke up was the fact that her hands were bound behind her back and away from her sword. Though her vision was still foggy, she could make out three figures in the room she was in; one of them was Gaffgarion, and the one at the desk was Delacroix. The one standing closest to her, she guessed, was Ludovich Baert. On the desk, in front of the cardinal, was an auracite stone. Yet, it did not have the same glow as the one from before did. It wasn't real auracite.

"You would use the Princess as bait to regain the Stone?" Gaffgarion asked. "I would not expect such a cunning man of cloth."

Ludovich scoffed. "You've some gall to speak, sellsword! It was you who let them escape!"

Them? Lightning squinted her eyes. He must have been talking about Agrias and Ovelia; unless they, too, had been captured. No—Agrias wouldn't let that happen. But if Ovelia had been captured, then that would mean both of them failed her as guardians. That would mean Lightning failed her promise to Ashe.

"That I don't deny, but it was not my task to stop them," Gaffgarion answered, frowned.

"Still your tongue, Ludovich. We will give the Princess Ovelia over to Lord Dycearg as promised." Delacroix eyed the stone on his desk. "That much serves us both. But it is no concern of mine if those who know the truth of her kidnapping live. I had no hand in it. Be that as it may, the thieves who stole the gem are now with them. If we use the Princess to lure them out, we get two birds—and one Stone."

The thieves who stole the gem...He wasn't talking about Ramza and Mustadio, was he? If they were lured back here, then they would be walking straight to their deaths!

"I won't deny the truth of it, but such a plan has risks." Gaffgarion seemed uneasy, but he hid it under a facade of confidence.

"Your reputation would not cast you so craven."

"I am _cautious_, your Holiness. A soldier does not live to become old and gray charging onto the field of battle unawares."

The cardinal nodded. "Very well. I will see that every possible precaution is taken. And let us sprinkle a trail of crumbs to ensure they find our snare."

"A prudent move." The mercenary looked at Lightning, his smirk wide. "She's the perfect bait to lure them to us. From what I observed before striking them, the machinist boy has quickly developed _feelings_ for the Eternal. He will be the first to come to her rescue, no doubt."

Lightning felt her cold blood suddenly boil as she glared at him. How _dare_ he—

"I'll assume responsibility for the best," Gaffgarion continued, and then he looked to the crime lord at his left. "Far better me than _him_."

Ludovich moved to hit him, but Delacroix held up a hand. "Do as you must. I shall leave the matter to you, Gaffgarion. The Stone is as good as ours if the hearts of hume boys are as weak for women such as she."

The old mercenary left the room, and Ludovich turned toward the cardinal with clenched fists. "Your Eminence, you cannot mean to truth this to a man like _that_!"

Standing up from the desk, Delacroix met him face-to-face. "I trust things to those who can be trusted," he stated. "Men who fail me time and time again are rewarded in another way."

There was a silver glint in his eyes, one that Lightning recognized as someone being possessed by a god. She closed her eyes to the sound of bones cracking and flesh being torn, letting herself fall into slumber once more.

**

* * *

**

_**Circa Old Valendian 728**_

_The war was over. Archadia proved strong once again, and Rozarria's army was defeated in battle. Moments after, Lord Larsa signed a treaty with the leaders of our opposing country, guaranteeing peace until further notice. I was eager to go to the palace to share the celebration with Ashe and Snow, knowing that they would be glad to be together again. Balthier, even though he hid it carefully, was anxious to see our hero after so many years. Fran stayed on the _Strahl_, for reasons she wasn't prepared to tell either of us._

_I briskly walked through the palace halls, and ran up the stairs to Ashe's quarters. Balthier followed close behind me, not saying a word. When we reached the tall doors and walked into her bedroom, he stopped in the door way and only stared at the sight before him._

_Ashe was dressed in an elegant dress of black, with a veil covering her face. She stood by the window, looking down upon the city. I cautiously walked up to her, my hand immediately finding its way to her shoulder. I saw, then, what had grasped Balthier's attention._

_In her hands was the ragnarok blade, wrapped up in a trench coat._

_"Ashe?" I said, and she looked at me. Her eyes were dry and red with tears._

_"The war is over...But my heart has begun a new one," she whispered, her voice cracking._

_My eyes darted between the sword and her face. Balthier remained standing where he had been since arriving. "What happened? Isn't that...?"_

_She confirmed exactly what I feared. "Snow was killed in battle. It was just before the war ended, too." Ashe closed her eyes. "Basch managed to bring his body away from the battle field and back to the camp...But it was too late."_

_I looked over to Balthier, but he was staring at the sword with a frightened look in his dark eyes._

_"He left this sword to you, Lightning." She handed the ragnarok blade to me, and my hands instinctively wrapped around its hilt and brought it close to my chest. "He knew that you would use it well."_

_"Ashe, I can't take this."_

_"You must." The Queen turned away from me again, looking out the window and to her city. "The funeral will be later today. I know that I have no need to ask if you will be there."_

_There are times when I wished I was as strong as her. I always wondered how she was able to cope with death even after so long. She had lost her first husband to war, and now she lost Snow in the same way. How many more deaths would she be able to take until her own?_

_The moment we returned to the _Strahl_, Balthier locked himself in his room. Fran regretfully turned away from the closed door, and I knew that she had known of Snow's death before we left that morning for the palace. For a while I stood in front of his door, holding the ragnarok blade in silence. Snow was the first of our companions to leave us, the first of many that I would be forced to watch die. Being a soldier, I had seen so many die in battle, but this...hurt more than before._

_Quietly opening the door, I peered into Balthier's room and found him sitting by the small window. He was staring at nothing with a blank look on his face, lost in his own thoughts; or, maybe he was lost in his memories. I sat down across from him, taking hold of his hand._

_"How are you holding up?" I asked, but I knew that he wouldn't answer me. When he turned toward me, I noticed the redness of his cheeks and eyes, how hard he was trying to not cry._

_"It's only been a short while," he whispered, "and already the world seems darker without our hero."_

_He shook his head, and I moved closer to him and wrapped my arms around him. Balthier started to tremble when the tears fell from his cheeks. All I could do was hold him as he sobbed, crying for the one person I knew he cherished. Snow had been the first one to really trust Balthier, and stayed at his side even when fate was against him. Even I meant nothing when it came to what the two of them had._

_So I just held him, wishing that I was strong enough to cry._

**

* * *

**

Lightning had been led to a chocobo-driven cart, heading for the gallows. Mercenaries sat around her, but she didn't make eye contact with any of them as they tried to impress her. She had become immune to the charms of men over the years—love was no longer a part of her life. Not since _he_ died.

Though the ragnarok blade had been confiscated by Delacroix, he neglected to take away her gunblade. To him, it looked like a piece of junk. And so she kept it hidden in the holster around her waist, knowing that she'd been using it soon.

Someone sat down beside her. "I never expected to see you in this situation. Being captured and taken away..."

It was Penelo, looking as young and bright as she did when they had first met in the Dalmascan desert. Lightning stared at her. "You've been through this, too, huh?"

"Ba'Gamnan and his crew captured me, thinking I was someone to use in luring Balthier out of hiding." Penelo frowned. "That was before I knew everyone...It seems so long ago."

"It _is_ long ago, Penelo."

"Is it?" She turned toward someone sitting at her side. "You haven't said anything, Basch, Fran."

The ex-judge and the viera were sitting beside Penelo, and Lightning couldn't believe what she was seeing. The last she had seen of Basch was before he left Archades, retiring from his life as a judge of Lord Larsa. He died of old age not too long after. Fran, however, had been with Lightning even after _his_ death. She died not long after the hanging of Saint Ajora, and became a part of the Wood like most viera. That was when Lightning started her lonely life.

"There is a great power arising here," Fran stated, looking the squire in the eyes. "One that even an Eternal cannot withstand."

"What do you mean?"

Basch turned his eyes toward the sky. "I would advise you to be careful, Lightning. If you're not careful, your heart will be stolen by the gods again."

The young dancer rolled her eyes, touching Lightning's hand. Her skin was cold. "Lightning's killed gods before, you two. I'm sure she'll be fine."

As the cart traveled under a bridge, the three disappeared, and Sazh and Hope were in their place. The pilot had multiple bullet wounds in his chest and neck, still fresh, while Hope, looking to be no more than thirty years old, was a sickly pale color.

Sazh was smirking. "Don't forget, she's been killed by one, too. But I guess since you're immortal and all, you don't have to worry 'bout that, huh?"

She forced a false smile. "No Snow this time?" she asked, disappointed. "I thought he'd be with you guys, too."

"You know we're not real, Light," Hope said. "We've been long gone..."

"How?" How did it happen?

"About ten years after you left," Sazh explained. "Fight with the rebellious PSICOMees. Air ship battle over Cocoon. I was protecting the crystal when," he motioned toward the bullet wounds, "it happened. Then, not much later, Hope here caught some disease that wiped out everything on Pulse."

She frowned. "The Cataclysm."

"Only, it happened a long time before it did on Ivalice," Hope said with a shrug. "I'm glad you survived, Light. I always knew that you'd be the last one left of our group. I just thought...you wouldn't be alone. I thought he'd find some way to immortality, and stay with you."

Lightning cast her eyes downward. "I... I thought so, too."

"Oy, lass! Quit yer ramblin'!"

Hope and Sazh were gone, and she was alone with the mercenaries once again. One of them pushed her off the cart, leading her to the crumbling ruins of the gallows. A blind fold was tied over her eyes, and she felt a cloak being placed over her shoulders, covering her face. A hand clasped around her wrist, leading her up some stairs until she stopped. A noose was tied around her neck, but she didn't move to resist whatever was to come.

She recognized Gaffgarion's scent when he leaned close to her ear. "Let's see how many times you can die, lass."

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_Snowwwww...*sniffle*_


	7. Scorpio

**Author's Note:** _So in this chapter, we finally get a hint as to how Balthier died. Or rather, why he died. You're right, __**TGD**__. Showers _are _the best places to get ideas. :) I'm not really happy about going back to school tomorrow, since it's the start of a new trimester. I'm being forced to take this dumb 'web design' class. I'll be working on my stories during that class time, of course, since the teacher is absolutely lazy and doesn't do a damn thing._

_My thanks goes to __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__ and __**Riku Uzumaki**__ for reviewing chapter 6! Sorry this story is so depressing...It'll get happier, sometime!_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Seven

Scorpio

It didn't take as long as she thought for Ramza and the others to arrive. Gaffgarion stood beside her, hand resting on the lever of the gallows, and chuckled quietly as the three arrived. Though Lightning couldn't see them, she knew that Ramza, Mustadio and Agrias were there. But they had no idea that they had just fallen into a trap.

"We have come for the Princess!" she heard Ramza exclaim, drawing his sword. "Stand down, or take her place on the gallows!"

Gaffgarion laughed, pulling the executioner's robe off and revealing his face. "And the trap is sprung!" With another swift motion, the red cloak was pulled from Lightning's face, but the blindfold remained in place. She heard Mustadio gasp and cock his gun. "Ramza, the ever gallant fool!"

"What have you done with Lady Ovelia?"

Lightning raised an eyebrow. There she was, tied up and about to be hanged, and yet all Ramza cared about was wherever the Princess was?

"I've done naught with her, she's at Lionel. What of the gem?" Gaffgarion asked, and when the blond knight looked at him in puzzlement, he continued, "Must we spare ourselves these tiresome feints? I speak of the cardinal's gemstone. The one who stole it travels with you, does he not? I would have it surrendered."

She heard the machinist pull the auracite crystal from his pocket, but he made no movements of handing it over.

"You are hesitant, boy? Then perhaps this will change your mind."

Gaffgarion pulled the lever, and the trap door beneath Lightning collapsed. The rope tightened around her neck, and although she couldn't feel a thing, she knew that not reacting at all would give away her _issue_. But still—something was wrong. The rope _burned_. Lightning struggled against the chains binding her hands, reaching for the gunblade behind her back.

A gun shot rang out, and the rope snapped. She fell to the ground, gasping for air as Agrias and Ramza moved against Gaffgarion. Mustadio was at her side in an instant, but when she opened her eyes and looked up at his face, she was staring into the dark eyes of someone else.

"Balthier?" she whispered, squinting.

She pushed herself up, and the moment she pulled the rope from her neck, Mustadio wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She knew then that he wasn't who she thought he was. "It was wrong of me to leave you behind, Light," he whimpered. "I should have known that it was a trap, that those men would come after you, and—"

Lightning silenced him by covering his mouth with her hand, shaking her head. "It's all right. I'm just...glad that you showed up when you did." She picked up the rope, ignoring the stinging feeling in her hands, and held it up in front of her face. It was laced with white powder—white magick. "I guess I need to be more careful."

The slimy words of Gaffgarion forced her to realize that there was still a battle to fight. "Must you aid this tedious fight?" the man asked. "You are an heir of House Beoulve, Ramza! It is your fate to see your duty fulfilled!"

"As it was my fate to let Tietra die?" Ramza retorted. "No, fate had no hand in that. Tietra died because I could not be bothered to save her. I've lied to myself all this time. It was my own inaction that killed her!"

Agrias stared at him. "Ramza, you are a Beoulve?"

"You didn't know?" Gaffgarion was smirking. "Aye, this little whelp is a son of the great House Beoulve."

"I am my father's son, but that does not make me the same as my brothers!" Ramza faced her, and Lightning saw the longing look in his eyes. "I knew naught of the plot to kidnap the Princess! I swear it!"

She smiled in return, touching his shoulder. "Do you truly think I would doubt you? You have more than proven yourself to me."

"You are truly a fool!" Gaffgarion stepped down from the gallows. "What is the life of one girl, when weighed against the greater good?"

"I see no _good_ in using people! Only deception and death!" Ramza frowned, walking forward. "I will not stand by any longer as innocents fall prey to your _good_! I will not let you harm the Princess!"

"Then seal your fate, you stubborn fool!"

Lightning allowed the two knights take charge in the battle while she stood back with Mustadio, healing herself with dark magick. Her hands were still scarred from the burns, but she didn't seem to mind. The scars reminded her of the same ones Snow had on his hands when he returned to Pulse with the others—she never did learn where he'd gotten them.

As soon as she saw that Ramza and Agrias' strength was faltering, she stepped into the fight and faced Gaffgarion. When she unsheathed the gunblade and held it toward him, he seemed surprised. Mustadio was grinning, proud that he had fixed her sword. Lightning stepped toward the mercenary, and when he was backed up against the wall, she held the gunblade against his neck.

"I need to know one thing before I kill you, _ser_," she spat. "How is it that you know so much about me? Who told you?"

His hands trembled with fear, but he still retained moderate grip on his dual blades. "There are stories about you, lass," he stammered. "The Eternal who killed the last of her kind and brought peace to Ivalice...The Church has hidden you well. I wonder what else they have hidden from our ears."

"What are you saying?" She pressed the blade closer to his neck, and he flinched.

"Have you not wondered why you have lived for so long? How you've avoided the clutches of the gods until now?" A smile grew on his old face. "After all, they took that man away from you, didn't they?"

"Shut _up_." Lightning leaned the blade closer. "You don't know _anything_!"

Gaffgarion chuckled. "What a shame. The goddess that blessed you with the life of an Eternal is the very same that took him away from you..."

Lightning cried out in anguish, piercing the gunblade into Gaffgarion's neck. Blood spurted onto her face and clothes, but she didn't notice nor care. His body went limp and fell to the ground, and when she moved to strike him down again, Ramza grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She slashed her blade in his direction, which he easily dodged, but Mustadio's voice pulled her out of her fit of anger.

"Light?"

She dropped her gunblade, staring with wide eyes at the confused and blank expressions around her, and fell to her knees. She hung her head low, shutting her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Balthier...I'm so sorry..."

**

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Though they managed to steal the chocobo driven carriage, the ride back to Lionel was nearly silent, apart from Mustadio's quiet snores. He was fast asleep with his head resting on Lightning's shoulder, while Ramza and Agrias sat across from them. The two were watching her carefully, but she was only staring at the gunblade in her lap.

"Are you all right, Lady Claire?" Agrias asked, breaking the silence. "Or, if that is your true name."

"Claire is my real name," Lightning answered. "I didn't go by it until a few years ago. Most people called me Lightning."

"Most people being those from the past?"

The squire looked up. "You heard what Gaffgarion said. Didn't you?"

Ramza nodded. "I have had my doubts about you, since I clearly remember seeing you when I was but a child. You called yourself 'Lightning', then, as well. An Eternal—just like in the stories. I should have _known_..." He frowned, sighing weakly. "How long have you been alive? How long have you been this way?"

"I was cursed with the life of an Eternal when I was the age of twenty-three, when I was shot. The goddess Etro brought me back to life, giving me this curse. That was over one-thousand years ago." Lightning ran a hand down the smooth blade of her sword. "I've seen so many friends die, and so many cities fall. I was once a guardian to her Royal Majesty Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca and her King-Consort until the time of her death, where I continued watching over their descendants."

"And that is why you've sworn to protect the Princess," Agrias murmured. "She _is_ descended from the Kingdom of Dalmasca..."

"How many know of you?" Ramza asked. "Are we the first to know?"

Lightning glanced between the two of them. "No, there's only one other that I've told. His name is Cidolfus—he was the man I traveled with before becoming a squire of the Order. He helped me recover the pieces of my gunblade until I knew it was time for us to part." She laughed quietly. "I can't handle being close to someone for longer than a few years."

"Are you afraid of losing those you care for? Lady Claire, you shouldn't have to worry about that. It is the way of life."

"I don't live, anymore. I just..._exist_. The day I died was the day I gave up living. I lost my chance at a full life when I was shot."

"I've never heard of gods and goddesses willingly giving eternity to humes," Agrias commented, resting her head in the palm of her hand. "There is always a price to pay for life."

"One life for another." The squire closed her eyes, touching the auracite piece around her neck. "That was the price to pay for eternity."

Ramza tilted his head to the side. "Then, who? Who was it that gave up their life for yours? Gaffgarion mentioned a man, did he not?"

Her eyes were focused on Mustadio's sleeping form as he huddled up closer to her. It was confusing that he somehow found comfort in her icy-cold temperature. "The man who gave up his life for me did it because he couldn't live without me," she admitted. "Turns out I'm the one who can't live without him."

"You were in love."

To her surprise, it was Agrias who said that. The holy knight, for the first time since they'd met, was looking at Lightning with a sympathetic look in her brown eyes; understanding? Lightning had nothing to say, though it seemed like she didn't know _what_ to say. And so she nodded, casting her eyes downward.

"Your last name. Bunansa. Were you...married?" It seemed that the topic of marriage was embarrassing to even a proud woman like Agrias.

"Not truly." The corner of Lightning's mouth twitched into a smile. "He asked me countless times, and it wasn't until too late that I realized why he was so persistent. He knew that he was going to die." Again, she forced a quiet laugh when she looked back down at her gunblade. "He didn't even make it to fifty."

Silence took hold for the rest of the journey, though Lightning found herself wishing that someone would ask her about _him_ one more time. But as she looked over at Mustadio, she realized some things would have to change. For the better, and the worse.

**

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"I see Gaffgarion's sword was no match for his words."

The four had arrived in Lionel no later than dawn, and Delacroix seemed to know that they would eventually find him. Lightning stood with Mustadio behind Ramza, while Agrias remained at his side. Delacroix turned around from the painting of a goddess on the wall.

"Then again," he continued, "perhaps the fault lies with his adversary. Beoulve blood is not given to spill easily. Even when thinned with that of a courtesan, it would seem." He walked forward and out from behind his desk. "But enough is enough. Your intrusions overstay their welcome. Leave the auracite, and then leave Lionel. A generous offer, and my last."

Agrias wasted no time. "Where is Lady Ovelia?"

"You mean to free her? What then? You've turned your back on your Church. A hume cannot prosecute a war alone. Do you think your mere _will_ is enough to see you victorious? Even will needs force, and you have none. Or, perhaps you do." His eyes flickered to where Lightning stood, but then he switched his attention back to the two standing in front. "The Princess has gone to Zeltennia. Her Highness has chosen to accept our hand in aid over yours."

"You lie!"

"Her Highness has taken her first step toward the throne. But she will need a steady hand to guide her, and yours falter. Who better, then, than us to stand at her side?" Delacroix held out his arms. "There's no reason you should not join as well. The thought of besting your brothers holds no allure? We care no less for this world's fate than you. Together we can change Ivalice for the better."

Shaking his head, Ramza said with a scowl, "I have no wish to change the world. But nor can I stand by while men suffer and die on the whim of some select few. Do you truly believe that you can change the world? Not even I am so naive as that."

Delacroix laughed, whipping his head back. "Nescient humility from one possessed of such an artefact. That Stone you hold can twist the very weave of nature, to say nothing of the world. Yet I fear my words are wasted on you. Actions speak louder, yes?"

He pulled out an auracite crystal from his robe as a red light filled the room. Lightning grabbed Mustadio to shield him from the blast of red sparks. As the magick ceased, she turned around and looked into the silver eyes of Cúchulainn, the Impure.

"_You take no pains to hide your wonderment_," he cried. "_How I shall delight to watch you die. Each excruciation ecstacy!_"

Mustadio backed away as the Lucavi summoned undead slimes to assist in the fight. "What is that thing?" he practically squealed, stepping behind the two knights.

"A Lucavi god," Lightning hissed. "I should have known. Guess the gods can't seem to leave humes alone!"

She withdrew her gunblade and ran past Ramza and Agrias, facing Cúchulainn alone. She remembered fighting his esper version with the others years before; only, it seemed the god had chosen to betray his vows and go rogue. His appearance had changed, as well. He looked more like a stuffed doll rather than a godly being.

Her blade shifted into its gun phase when she kicked one of the slimes out of her way, and she aimed directly for Cúchulainn's hideous head. But as she narrowed her eyes, she caught sight of the auracite stone entrapped in the openings of his stomach. Quickly, while blocking a bite from a slime, she turned toward Ramza and Agrias.

"Ramza! Agrias!" she exclaimed. "Hold 'em off while I try to grab the Stone!"

The holy knight stared at her. "Are you _mad_?"

She smirked. "Runs in the Bunansa family, I've been told!" Lightning faced the Lucavi again and ducked down when one of his obese arms swung in her direction. A flurry of bullets whizzed past her, hitting the god square in the face. He fell back, screeching like a child.

Lightning took her chance and dove to the floor, nearly stabbing her hand into Cúchulainn's gut. She grimaced as she felt the warmth of his innards seep onto her arm, but she continued to reach for the small crystal. The stench was horrible, like rotting corpses. Shutting her eyes tightly, she finally grabbed a hold of the stone and clenched her fingers around it. Cúchulainn grabbed one of her legs and attempted to pull her away, but Agrias rushed forward and slashed her blade through the Lucavi's arm.

The arm slumped to the floor, still burning with white magick. Cúchulainn cried out again, and Agrias was forced to cover her ears. The high screeching noise didn't bother Lightning at all, but it seemed to be directed at only the holy knight. Ramza rushed over and caught Agrias when her legs gave out, and she gave him a weak smile in return.

As they held off more slimes, Lightning tugged at the stone, only to find that it wouldn't budge. Without even thinking clearly, she pointed the barrel of her gunblade at her hand, inside of Cúchulainn's stomach, and fired three shots. The crystal broke free, and she was pulled away from the Lucavi by Ramza. The two of them fell to the floor as Cúchulainn exploded into small bursts of light.

"_How strange that I, Undying, here should die_," the Lucavi moaned as he faded away. "_A death come early, ere my master could return..._"

When the god vanished from sight, Lightning took hold of Mustadio's out-stretched hand and allowed him to pull her up. The Scorpio stone lost its bright color when she handed it to Ramza, and she healed her mangled hand before Mustadio could notice. Agrias, recovered, rested a hand on Ramza's shoulder as he examined the stone.

"What is it?" she breathed, looking at the Zodiac sign burned in it.

It seemed that no one had an answer that they were willing to share.

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_Whoo. That took me a long time to write..._


	8. Like the Sun Holds the Moon

**Author's Note:** _I can die happily now. Why? Because I have a Balthier action figure. :D The only problem is...his right arm fell off. o_o I need super glue. Badly. Nonetheless, he is now hanging out and having a few bromance moments with Snow. Hee hee. My next goal is to buy a Lightning figure. ;)_

_This chapter title is derived from the song _Letters from the Sky _by Civil Twilight. That song always makes me cry. The way I interpret it is that its about life after the death of someone you loved, how it seems that they're still there with you. It's slightly different for Lightning in this story_—_she's been seeing others from her life, but the one person she needs to see hasn't been there. He's already gone._

_My thanks goes to __**HopelessRomanticist**__, __**Riku Uzumaki**__ and __**The Giant Daifuku**__! Sorry I didn't post this last weekend. Does this extremely long chapter make up for it?_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Eight

Like the Sun Holds the Moon

_And so here she stood upon the grave of the taken  
Heart broken and eyes unwet, she waited  
But he would not return to her, no matter how hard she wished  
Yet, by her side stood a boy  
Would he be the same?_

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A war had broken out between the Knights of the Northern and Southern Orders. Lightning had heard whisperings of the "War of the Lions" in the numerous towns they had stopped in on their way to Lesalia, as well as declarations that the Princess Ovelia had been crowned as Queen. Agrias was taken aback by those news, and did not say a word to anyone until Ramza spoke to her alone.

They had been on the run since killing Cardinal Delacroix, weary that they would be deemed as heretics for what they had done. Mustadio wasn't bothered by the revelation as much as Agrias, and Lightning mentioned that she, already, could be considered as a heretic. Only the two knights understood the truth behind that.

Ramza had expressed his concern over the matter, and wished to speak with his brothers about what was truly happening to Ivalice. Delacroix had not been who they had believed, controled by the beings known as the Lucavi, and only time would tell until another, like him, would be consumed by the power of auracite. The two stones they now held, the Taurus and Scorpio stones, didn't react to any of their anima; Lightning believed that there must have been some secret as to how the auracite gained control over a hume's mind.

And so, they began their journey to Ramza's home. Winter had fallen upon them, and even though Lightning was unaffected by the change in temperature, the others weren't so lucky. She ended up giving her red cape to Mustadio just to stop him from freezing completely, but Agrias was too stubborn and proud to admit that even she was troubled by the snow.

"We knights have learned to ignore petty feelings as such," she explained as they made their way into the city. Her blonde hair was spotted with flakes of snow and ice. "Our oaths are the only thing important to us, even more than our own persons."

"I could never be a knight," Mustadio added, pulling Lightning's cape over his shoulders more. "They're either heartless monsters, or emotionless killers. There may be a few _good_ ones, but we haven't had much luck in finding those, have we?"

Agrias huffed quietly. "You stand with three now, Mustadio. Myself, Ramza and Lady Claire."

"Definitely not that Delita man we came across after rescuing my father. He seemed so...cruel. I do not understand why you seem to trust him so well, Ramza."

The dark knight glanced at the other three through the corner of his eye from where he led their group. "Delita has promised to protect the Princess as much as he can. We must pray and hope that he will succeed in his own tasks, as well that we succeed in our own."

"So he goes on his path, and we go on our own. Is that it?" Lightning asked, quickening her pace.

"Of course. All must go off on their own at least one in their lives. It is the way bestowed upon humes who seek to understand their fate and worth."

"Being alone isn't always the best thing, though. At least, not for long periods of time."

Ramza's lips cracked a smile. "Then I pray that you, too, will succeed in your focus."

While he joined Agrias and Mustadio in a different conversation, Lightning seemed to lose herself in her thoughts. Her aqua eyes danced around the frost covered scenery, ignoring the glittering powder falling from the sky and onto her dyed brown hair. Her steps slowed when she felt someone walking right beside her. She didn't have to look at them to know who it was.

"You're late," she whispered through the corner of her mouth, making sure that the others were farther ahead.

Snow smiled faintly. "Sorry. Last time you weren't too happy to see me, so I didn't want to bother you anymore, sis."

"I don't mind. Not anymore."

"Good to hear," he chuckled. His bright eyes glanced toward the three in front of them. "Can't say I'm not surprised that you've managed to find a living descendant of Balthier. Though, it's more like he found you than vice versa."

"I think gods are toying with me again. I've seen so many that remind me of the others. Princess Ovelia, even though she's not a blood member of the Atkascha family, she's a descendant of the Dalmascan line. Even Ramza is from a branch of your family. And Mustadio..." She frowned. "There are times when I can't tell the difference between him and Balthier."

He touched her shoulder, and for once she didn't shake his hand away. "Sis, I'm sorry. I really wish...that it didn't have to come to this. You shouldn't be forced to live through life knowing that everything will change but you. If there had been another way to save you, if we had that one chance to change things—"

"Snow. You can't save everyone." Lightning stopped walking and faced him. "Maybe I am meant to be an Eternal. Maybe there is some set task for me that I have yet to find. Maybe...maybe what happened to Balthier was fate, too."

"I don't want to believe that."

A barely audible laugh escaped her lips. "Do you? You're only here, now, because I can't seem to move on. Whatever you're feeling is because of me. I don't want to believe what's right in front of me." She paused. "Snow. How did you burn your hands?"

"I stopped fate from taking Balthier away. I stopped him from dying like before. I promised him that I'd always be there."

"You did, huh?" Lightning closed her eyes for a moment before looking at Snow again. "Tell me the truth, Snow. Balthier—you loved him more than Ashe, didn't you?"

Snow only laughed, and suddenly Agrias and Mustadio were running toward her. Ramza was no longer among them, apparently, as Agrias explained. He had run away after hearing something in the distance, claiming that someone else needed to be saved. With what felt to be a broken heart, Lightning followed the pair to where the dark knight had gone, wishing that Snow hadn't left her so soon.

They found Ramza standing with a young man with dark hair, carrying books and papers in his trembling arms. There were countless foot prints in the snow, and spots of blood had stained the ground. Agrias seemed relieved to see that Ramza was all right, as much as she had tried to hide her concern.

"Are you hurt?" Ramza asked the man when the others stood at his side.

"I am fine, thank you." The young man bowed. "My name is Orran Durai. And yours?"

"I am Ramza. Ramza Beouvle." As he stated his family name, he didn't see the slight flinch from Orran. "My comrades here are the Lady Agrias Oaks, and the machinist Mustadio and the Lady Claire of House Bunansa."

Orran seemed taken aback. "Bunansa?"

"Yes?" Mustadio tilted his head. "What of it?"

"T'is naught, forgive me. Might I inquire as to the direction of your travels?"

Ramza met Agrias' gaze, and she only nodded, allowing him to continue. "We make for the royal capital. And you? You are welcome to accompany us if our paths are the same."

"A gracious offer, but I fear my road leads away from Lesalia." Orran looked up, noticing that dark clouds were forming as the wind increased. "Ah, a storm is coming. I understand you must be in quite the hurry, but it would be best for you to wait out the storm somewhere safe. You are welcome to join me at my home."

Agrias nearly smiled. "Thank you. We'd appreciate it."

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The small cottage where Orran lived for the time being was hidden in a gathering of trees. Lightning gasped quietly when she recognized the place as where she stayed for a few years after meeting the Count Orlandeau. It hadn't changed for nearly a decade; the wood remained intact despite the furious weather throughout the years. Orran pushed the door open, and when they walked into the small kitchen-like room, a man wearing a hood that covered his face looked up from where he sat at the table.

"Count Orlandeau, I did not expect you to return so soon!" Orran exclaimed. Lightning had forgotten—Cidolfus had an adopted son, which apparently turned out to be the young man Ramza had just saved.

Cidolfus smirked as he lowered his hood. He looked the same as he had when she had first met him, apart from a few graying hairs. "Word of a phoenix in flight reached my ears," he explained, "and I followed her trail the moment I was able to travel on my own." He eyed the group's pink tinted faces (apart from Lightning). "And this must be Ramza. How you've grown, boy! Still, I recognized you at once."

Ramza blinked. "Have we met? I seem to remember meeting yourself and the Lady Claire years ago."

"Yes, though I can't say I'm surprised your memory is foggy. You were only a child of some three or four years at the time. You gave us a fright, trying to lift the ragnarok blade. Your father gave you a scolding that left you in tears, but at least you weren't hurt." Cidolfus laughed, and then turned toward Lightning. "And you, my dear phoenix, have been causing quite the mess in your stead."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Old habits die hard."

While Orran helped the group settle in, Cidolfus motioned for Lightning to follow him. Though Mustadio seemed curious about where she was going, she followed him into the smaller bedroom where a fire had already been lit in the hearth. She sat down across from the old knight, setting her gunblade in her lap. The wind howled outside, and thick snow flakes pounded against the windows.

He studied her expression carefully as he lit a pipe. "I did not think you would travel with others again," he stated. "You left me after only a few years of training without even saying good-bye."

"Recent events have changed my mind."

"Such as meeting the Bunansa boy?"

Lightning touched the gunblade's hilt. "Yeah. I didn't think it was possible for that name to even exist in these times, let alone that I'd get the chance to meet another Bunansa."

"It seems your man from the Age of Technology was not honest with you."

"I'm not surprised. He was never on the best of terms with commitment." She moved her gaze toward the ragnarok blade; it was leaning against the wall, lit up by the fire, and its shadow danced across the floor. "I can't help but feel that he had known all along about what was going to happen to him. That he was going to die because he saved me."

Cidolfus rested his head in his palm. "You question his motives?"

"Why else would he let himself die? If he knew that his life would end sooner than expected, why didn't he become immortal and stay with me for eternity? Unless, everyone was right—eternity won't last forever..."

"You've changed, Lightning." He set his pipe down on the small table beside him. "You used to be so set on running, claiming that it was what your man would have done. But now, it seems that you're readying yourself for something. Have you found the means to fight again?"

**

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_**Circa Old Valendian 1977**_

_The Salikawood had become nothing more than few burnt trees and decaying moss, but it still felt like a part of home to me. The people of Ivalice called it the Land of the Lost, and buried the dead there. My reasons for being there were similar, only it was for something so much more important._

_The ragnarok blade was in its rightful place, my hand, and Vaan's old danjuro dagger was sheathed on my belt. My crimson trench coat, even though it was covered with dirt, still stood out from the trees. I wanted to blend it, though_—_and that was why I had been forced to dye my hair to a pale blonde. I couldn't let anyone find out my secret._

_But someone already had._

_I was looking around for pieces of metal to repair my gunblade when he stumbled upon me. A man wearing a dark robe and carrying a longsword stood in my path, holding what looked to be a crystal in his other hand. He was middle aged, around the same age Basch had been when I met him years ago. I knew his face well; his name was Count Cidolfus Orlandeau, called the 'Thunder God' for his success in the ways of the sword._

_"So the rumors are false," he stated the moment he saw me. "I came here searching for a fierce some phoenix, and yet I have only found a lost bird that cannot fly." He began walking toward me, but I didn't know what to do. It had been so long since I had actually spoken to someone without killing them soon after. "A woman dressed in the colors of a phoenix, one that cannot die no matter who she has fought. That is the mark I have come to fight."_

_I only stared at him, still unsure as to what was truly going on. "I'm a target of the Hunt clubs, am I? I asked. "Nothing more than an outsider, I guess. Always was, always will be."_

_"I cannot help but wonder what it is that has made you kill our men."_

_"They tried to kill me first. What I've done is all out of self-defense. A man of the Order would do well to respect that."_

_Cidolfus lowered his blade. "Tell me, my dear phoenix. What is it you seek here?"_

_"It's not my place to tell you." I held up the ragnarok blade, taking a few paces back. "Just fight me and get this over with."_

_He walked closer, and with each step he took I could hear quiet whispers coming from the stone he held. I couldn't make out the words as they swarmed my mind, and I found it hard to focus on what was going on around me. I clenched the ragnarok blade, falling against a tree when Cidolfus' longsword was pressed against my neck._

_"I know what weakens you, phoenix," he murmured. "Men speak of your tales in battle, of the woman that guards the grave of her fallen love. Can he see what you've become, I wonder."_

_The voice from the stone had clouded my ears. "Get the thing away from me," I hissed. "I can't_—_I don't _know—_"_

_The blade moved from my neck, and he pocketed the stone. The whispers ceased, and I pulled out the danjuro dagger to strike him down. But I was too slow; Cidolfus wrapped his fingers around my wrist and snapped it, and knocked the dagger from my hands. When it fell to the ground, its rusted hilt shattered. The ragnarok blade almost slipped from my fingers, and as my wrist healed itself I moved to the side and slammed my knee into Cidolfus' gut. The wind was knocked out of him, and I lunged as soon as he was distracted._

_But again, he was faster. His longsword pierced into my stomach and through my spine, and almost simultaneously my legs lost feeling and collapsed. Cidolfus kicked the ragnarok blade aside when I lay in the grass, and with a sigh he was kneeling close to my wincing face._

_"You have grown weak in your old age," he stated, smirking. "But you look and act like a young squire would on the day of their first battle. Come. I will aid you in this inner battle, my dear phoenix."_

_I spat out some blood. "I'm not going anywhere with _you_."_

_He laughed, shaking his head. He pulled out what looked to be the hilt of my old gunblade from his robes. "I knew that I would find and defeat you, phoenix. Do not think I wouldn't come prepared, either. This is what you're searching for, isn't it? This is one part of your past, one part you need in order to move from this life."_

_"I just want to forget."_

_"Yes, but I don't believe that he wants to be forgotten so easily."_

_The feeling in my legs returned as he pulled the longsword out of me, but my eyes were only focused on the hilt he held in his hands. After a few moments of silence and consideration, Cidolfus took my hand and my sword, leading me away from exile._

**

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Lightning, after speaking with Cidolfus, had given up her ragnarok blade to Ramza. He was surprised that she would let go of it so easily, but she told him it was time to move on. She heard Snow laughing quietly behind her, but when she turned around to face him, he wasn't there.

She found Mustadio fast asleep in the bed that she was meant to share with him, but she didn't want to disturb his slumber. Instead, she walked down the narrow hall into the room Ramza and Agrias were sharing. Hearing their voices stopped her from opening the door any further.

"She gave you that sword?" Agrias questioned. She and Ramza were sitting on one of the beds, close to the dim candlelight in the corner. "I do not understand. I had thought Claire would never part with it."

Ramza smiled gently. "She told me that it was my birthright to hold this blade. The Beoulve family is but one branch of the Dalmascan line, I am told. This ragnarok blade once belonged to the King himself."

"Still. It is odd that now, all of the sudden, she gives it up." She was silent for a moment, thinking. "I cannot help but feel that I, too, will give up something dear to me. Claire has lost so much, and will I become like her if I am to fall?"

"You won't fall, Agrias." Ramza held her hand, and from where she stood behind the door, Lightning gasped weakly. "I will not let any harm come to you. We will stand together from now on."

Agrias stared at him until she took hold of his face and pulled their lips together. Lightning moved away from the door and leaned against the wall, holding onto the auracite piece and closing her eyes. In silence, she returned to her room and sat down on the bed beside Mustadio's sleeping form, where she remained until dawn arrived.

**

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**

"Light, where are we going?"

Mustadio was trying his hardest to keep up with Lightning's quick pace as the two of them walked down the frost covered hill. He wore an emerald scarf around his neck, and a heavy leathered cloak around his shoulders. She, continuing her facade, wore a crimson trench coat and a pale brown scarf. The trees around them were tangled with snow and ice, though the cold temperature refused to affect her. Turning around, Lightning caught Mustadio's eager eyes and smiled gently.

"You'll see," she answered. "I wanted to show you something."

As they continued to trudge down the hill and through the forest, the snow crunching beneath their feet, she wondered how Ramza and Agrias were faring. They had gone ahead to meet with his family, and Lightning had decided on a whim that she needed to go somewhere else. The truth was that she couldn't stand seeing their happiness and not think of what she used to have.

Cidolfus was almost disappointed to see that she was leaving so soon, but was certain that they would meet again. He also made a point of telling the young machinist to watch over Lightning, which Mustadio became embarrassed over despite agreeing. Orran, on the other hand, had been edgy when Lightning said good-bye to him, and she couldn't help but think that he had heard of how she had met his caretaker. She nearly smiled at the thought.

"Light, it's cold out," Mustadio hissed between gritted teeth. "What is so important? Ramza and Agrias are probably lost now."

Lightning raised a finger to her lips, hushing him. She rested a hand against one of the trees, listening for something, and as soon as the machinist reached her, she sauntered past the tall bushes and into what looked to be a clearing. The sky was bright overhead, and there was nothing but the echoes of the wind as Mustadio found Lightning brushing off some snow from a headstone. She knelt, pulling out a withered rose from her coat. Its dark crimson color stood out against the white. When he walked up behind her, he could barely make out the printing on the grave.

'_Ffamran mied Bunansa, a sky pirate  
684 - 731 Old Valendian_'

A weak sigh escaped her lips, and Mustadio quietly sat down beside her. She set the rose on top of the headstone, her fingers lingering when she touched the worn words.

"It's been a while," Lightning murmured. "Too long have I avoided visiting this place." The machinist remained silent as she adjusted her sitting position. "It's a shame, really. After all he did, I can't even shed a tear."

"Who was he?"

"A sky pirate from the Age of Technology, son of Cidolfus Demen Bunansa of Draklor in Archadia. He managed to do things a regular hume couldn't, and still remained as free as the sky." She tilted her head to the side, almost smiling. "I didn't realize it until now, but the Bunansa family was once considered as nobility. I suppose, in a sense, that makes you and your father nobility, too."

Mustadio laughed quietly. "And you—since you go by that name, as well. You may not be blood related, but...I am sure that my father would be more than happy to think of you as a member of our family."

"I lost my family a long time ago." Lightning fidgeted with the crystal around her neck, staring at the name on the headstone. "My parents died when I was young, and I was left to take care of my sister on my own. Serah—she was killed when it was my job to protect her. I allowed her to die, so maybe that's why I'm this way, now." She could feel Mustadio's eyes upon her, but she refused to look at him. "After that...Balthier died. Even now, I don't know exactly what it was that took his life away. Sometimes times I wonder if it really was all my fault."

"Light, I don't believe anyone's death is your fault."

"I've killed people, Mustadio," she suddenly snapped. She stood up from the ground, the white powder falling from her lap. Mustadio stared at her with big eyes. "I'm a soldier, meant to protect people, but I've killed so many without even thinking that they could be the slightest bit _innocent_. Maybe I am the one who killed Serah, Balthier, maybe even that idiot _Snow_—so what does that make me? A murderer? A _monster_?"

"Light—"

Her hands had unknowingly grasped her gunblade, and she could hear quiet whispers in the back of her mind. "Cid was right—I have changed. I've become worse than I was before."

She raised the blade above her head, shutting her eyes when Mustadio couldn't seem to even blink from fear. It was as if she had no control over her body. The burst of a gun shot in the distance broke her trance, and it was then that she and the machinist heard the yells and cries of knights running down the road.

Mustadio got to his feet in an instant, withdrawing his pistol. "We have to warn Ramza and Agrias!" he exclaimed, acting as if Lightning's breakdown had never even happened.

When he ran back the way the came, Lightning moved to follow him, but she stopped short when she looked back down at the grave. She hadn't noticed it before, as she was too distracted by her thoughts, but there was a trail of foot prints in the snow that didn't belong to either her or Mustadio. Sighing gently, Lightning left the grave behind, and, though she knew it was impossible, wished that she didn't have to fight anymore.

**

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**

_I'll give you guys a hint: the gun shot and foot prints foreshadow something. Cookies to who guesses correctly!_


	9. Sister

**Author's Note:** _So, everyone guessed correctly as to who it was that warned Lightning and Mustadio about the knights and visited Balthier's grave: Balthier himself. Does that mean we'll see him soon, or will he continue to be ambiguously present throughout the rest of the story? Hmm...Actually, I'm sure __**TGD**__ will be happy with the events near the end of this chapter. ;)_

_You guys are amazing, __**Riku Uzumaki**__, __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__ and __**remixofdestiny**__._

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Nine

Sister

It had never occurred to Lightning that she would find herself, once again, wanting to protect others from the beast called Death. For several decades she had forced herself to stay away from humes, knowing that she would eventually get attached to at least one of them. And, much to her dismay, when she met Cidolfus, she was falling down that path once again. So she left before she could lose herself, and joined the Order in hopes of reclaiming her soldierly-demeanor. However, she was pulled into the plot to kill the Princess and had fallen in league with humes she had, unknowingly, come to trust.

She hadn't noticed it at first, but Mustadio had taken hold of her hand as they ran through the forest, hoping to arrive in time to warn Ramza and Agrias of the coming danger. His gloved hand was warm, and for a while she didn't want to let go. But, of course, she would have to someday.

They arrived at a large mansion in the middle of a forest, beside it a smaller barn, and walking out of the door were Ramza and Agrias. Lightning sighed with relief, slowly moving her hand from Mustadio's as she walked toward the pair. Just as she started to tell them about the coming danger, a young woman came rushing from the barn.

"Ramza, wait!"

She embraced the dark knight, nearly knocking him off of his feet. Agrias blinked in surprise, though Lightning caught the slightest hint of jealousy in her eyes. The squire looked to the brother and sister pair once more, and eventually lost herself in memory.

"I'm sorry, Alma," Ramza murmured, stroking his sister's blonde braid.

"Did you think to leave without so much as a word?" she asked, and he moved away from her, clearly uncomfortable.

"I...I've never been good at good-byes."

Alma cast her eyes downward. "You won't be coming back, will you."

"Delita lives, Alma. He helped kidnap the Princess."

"What? Helped who?"

The dark knight, staring at the sky, walked a few paces closer to the barn's door. "At first I thought it was Duke Goltanna—that Delita had sided with him to spite us. But now I fear he may be working with people far more dangerous still. It is they who wanted to thwart the plot to assassinate Princess Ovelia."

"So is it true? That Dycedarg planned her abduction?"

He nodded, facing her. "It is. I am sure he had his reasons, but I cannot see them through the blood."

"Then Tietra...?"

"She did not share her brother's luck," Ramza admitted, and Alma cupped her hands to her lips, eyes wide. "Listen to me. I know not who guides Delita's actions, only that they are to be feared. I know not what evil lies at the end of this plot."

"And Delita...serves these people?"

"I cannot be sure. I am only sure that Delita has reasons as well. If only I could know them..."

"You mean to fight them, don't you?" There was a pregnant pause, and Alma stood in front of her brother with her hands on her hips. Her bright eyes were narrowed, and though she looked to be upset over the news of her friend's death, her worry for Ramza was greater. "I'm coming with you."

Ramza stared at her. "Are you mad? That's out of the question!"

Looking between the two of them, Lightning couldn't help but feel _deja vu_. It had been centuries since she had been the same way with someone: her own sister, Serah. Everything she had done was to protect her from the dangers of the outside world, but in the end it was her protection that killed Serah. Or was the lack of protection? She couldn't remember; it had been so long...

"I want to help you prove the truth to your words," Alma continued. "I would not want my brother to meet the fate Tietra has."

Seeing as how Lightning was staring off into space yet again, Mustadio took the chance to get Ramza and Agrias' attention. "Ramza, we can't stay here any longer. There are men coming here, and I'm not certain that they're on our side. We have to leave before—"

"Ramza Beoulve, I presume."

A burly old man wearing robes of the Church of Glabados walked out from the forest, where Mustadio and Lightning had once been, trailed by a small legion of knights and mages. Lightning unsheathed her gunblade without a second thought, and the robed man leered at her.

"Ah, but I have you at a disadvantage. I am Confessor Zalmour Lucianada of the Holy Office of Inquisition. I come to bring you and your comrades before the Office on charges of the murder of Cardinal Delacroix and suspicion of heresy." He motioned for the knight to come forward. "You will come with us. Should you resist, you admit your guilt, and will be executed as heretics."

"Heretics?" Agrias snapped. "What have we done?"

Zalmour glowered. "So you pretend ignorance? You slew Cardinal Delacroix to gain the auracite he held and offer it to whatever hell spawn you profane to call a god!"

"Sounds like you're talking more about yourself," Lightning interjected, resting her gunblade on her shoulder. "The stories you've created of your auracite are lies. The Stones are magicite that hold the power of the gods themselves. The cardinal used this power, and it perverted him into one of the Lucavi."

"Is it not enough that you murdered Cardinal Delacroix? Must you now slander his name, as well? More's the pity." Zalmour drew a rod from his belt and twirled it once. "You will only see the names of your ancestors washed away in tears."

Ramza raised an arm to defend his sister, who, though she held no weapon, looked ready to fight on her own. "We have done naught wrong..."

The confessor shrugged. "At least the thief from before was honest in what he had done...But he ran like the coward he was named. Alas, your fate shan't be the same. I shall say this again: you will come with us."

"Oh, shut up," Lightning groaned, shifting her gunblade into its ranged form.

She fired a series of bullets at the confessor's knights, hitting some directly in the forehead and knocking them to the snow. While Agrias moved forward, joined by Mustadio, Ramza pulled Lightning aside. "Lady Claire, I must ask you: protect Alma. Be her shield, I beg you."

The squire, with narrowed eyes, looked between the brother and sister. She had been reduced to a mere shield since revealing her immortality to them? "Fine," she spat in a hiss. "You go on ahead."

With a nod, he joined the other two, and Lightning raised her gunblade as it warped back into a sword, defending the young woman standing behind her. It didn't help that her eyes, a pale blue, reminded her of her own sister. Lightning cursed under her breath as one of the mages began casting a spell and aimed for them. Before she had the chance to block the spell herself, Mustadio shot down the mage with an array of magicite induced bullets. He grinned at her, waving once before turning back to battle.

Alma cast a Protect spell upon her and the squire, just as Lightning sliced her gunblade through a knight's torso. The blood squirted onto her trench coat, though it was the least of her worries at the time. She refused to look in the youngest Beoulve's direction the entire time she protected her, fearing that she would, once again, lose herself in memory.

_Do not let yourself become lost, Claire._

Lightning froze. That voice—!

_Move!_

She grabbed Alma and moved to the side just as a Flare spell was thrown directly at them. Zalmour fell to his knees, coughing vigorously, as Ramza stood over him. Lightning remained beside Alma, though she didn't pay attention to those around her. Mustadio went up to her, frowning, but he didn't ask what happened. She wouldn't have an answer for him, nonetheless.

"Heretics who profane the gods must still face their justice!" the confessor snarled as he stood. "You will yet meet yours!"

He fled the scene, and Alma immediately went to her brother. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. "Ramza! You're all right."

"As are you," he muttered, moving away from her. "None of this makes sense. How could the Office of Inquisition have learned of the auracite? Could the Church of Glabados be the ones supporting Delita? What do they hope to gain?"

"You mentioned auracite," Alma stated, as Agrias sheathed her sword onto her belt. "Have you truly seen the Stones from the legend? If auracite is real, then," she frowned, "I think I may have seen it once."

Mustadio looked up as he wiped blood from his pistol. "What? Where?"

She faced her brother, pouting again. "First you must promise that you'll take me with you!"

"You persist in this?" Ramza seemed the slightest bit impressed, but he masked it well with worry. "Do you think I would risk putting you in such peril again? I will not take you with me!"

"Then I have nothing more to say."

"Do not act like such a child. Your very life is in danger!"

Lightning, closing her eyes for a moment, sauntered forward and stood beside the siblings. "Ramza, think about it," she said. "Your sister was seen with us, so surely the Church has branded her a heretic, too. No doubt your brothers wouldn't do a thing to protect her, either, judging by how easily they shunned you. Leaving Alma here alone would be worse than taking her with us."

"The danger is too great," he retorted. "She must explain everything to Zalbaag and beg the forgiveness of the Church."

Alma, with tears forming in her eyes, turned away from them. "The one I saw—it was in Orbonne. A crystal, engraved with the likeness of a virgin maid."

"Virgo," Agrias murmured.

"We must reach it before they do. Thank you, Alma." Ramza began to leave, stepping over one of the knights that Lightning had so graciously killed. "Now go to Zalbaag, and do as I have said."

She would not let him go so easily. "And just how do you think to enter the monastery? You're all heretics, remember? Do you think you will be welcome at Orbonne? You need me, after all, it seems."

The dark knight paused in his step, and not even looking back he said, "Fine, but only until we reach Orbonne. When it is done, you will come home."

"I promise."

"I will hold you to it."

**

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**

Mustadio had rested his head upon Lightning's shoulder as they rode the chocobo through the thick snowfall. It had taken them all night to reach the city, and seeing as how she could not sleep without magick, she volunteered to lead the group throughout their journey. The other chocobo was tied to Lightning's, though by the looks of it, Agrias was the only other awake. Both Ramza and his sister were asleep behind her.

The squire had only her thoughts to keep her company as the night went on, rushing through the memory of the voice warning her in battle. It sounded so familiar, but she hadn't heard it for years. Was it the goddess Etro, or some other godly being? A scowl pulled at Lightning's lips. Curse the gods, she told herself; they took _him_ away.

"Lady Claire," Agrias called from behind. "The monastery is just ahead!"

Lightning nodded, and halted her chocobo at the side of the road. She jumped off, helping a sleepy Mustadio to his feet at the same time. His eyes were still closed, and he swayed where he stood. Lightning had to keep a hand upon his shoulder when Ramza and Alma approached them.

"Up there," Alma whispered, peering through the darkness. "Is that...smoke?"

Clouds rose from the thickets around the monastery, and the palest of flames could be seen within its halls. They broke into a run, hurrying to the building in hopes that they were not too late. When Ramza pushed the doors open, his sister cried out.

"Elder Simon!"

The old man was sprawled across the floor, surrounded by the bodies of recently deceased priests. His white robes were covered with blood. Lightning could smell the essence of magick; an auracite crystal was somewhere within the monastery's walls. Alma rushed to the Elder's side.

"Elder, speak to me!" she cried, and the man slowly returned to consciousness. "Elder, what has happened?"

He didn't seem to see her there, and only looked toward Lightning. "You...you must leave this place at once, child," he croaked. "It is not safe. Men have come...come seeking the Stone."

"A Zodiac Stone?" Ramza questioned, bending down beside his sister. "Then it is as Alma said!"

"The Virgo Stone is one of...one of the crown jewels of Ivalice. It was given to our keeping when the Lady Ovelia was brought here for her fosterage...as proof of her loyalty."

"And the ones come to take it—who are they?"

The Elder squinted, looking at the dark knight's face. "You are...Alma's elder brother? Ramza, was it? I beg you, my son—leave them be. Block their way, and they will cut you down. A man from before, and our priests—they tried to, and look what has been done."

Loud voices could be heard beneath the floor boards, rummaging through cases and other artefacts. "_Where's the bloody Stone?_" a gruff man demanded. "_You there, where is it?_"

"_I told you, I know nothing!_" Lightning flinched at the voice, her vision clouding up as she turned an ear to the floor. "_Gods forbid, were you even listening to me?_"

"_Someone silence him! Take his gun and shoot him, dammit!_"

A loud bang followed, and someone started to laugh loudly. Ramza closed his eyes, and looked toward the Elder once more. "We are branded as heretics and hunted by the Church," he hissed through clenched teeth. "Am I to assume the Stones I now possess are the reason? Who are these men? Please, I must know!"

The Elder was silent, wincing from the wounds in his side. "...Very well. High Confessor Marcel and his followers seek to restore the Church to prominence. As a first step, they have set Dukes Larg and Goltanna against one another to whittle down their military might. The longer the fighting lasts, the weaker the dukes become—and the more the people lose their faith in the Crown."

"By gathering these Stones, and reviving the Zodiac Braves? What do they hope to gain from such a show?"

He laughed gently. "The support of the people, of course."

"Truly?" Agrias frowned. "The cardinal used his Stone to infuse himself with the strength of the Lucavi. If such is the power of the Zodiac Stones, it is a power to rival that of any army. Is that strength not what the High Confessor seeks?"

"Yes, my child..."

The Elder's head fell back, losing his mind to slumber once more. Ramza, after thinking for a moment, stood up and faced the hallway leading to the lower parts of the monastery. Agrias stood, as well, and looked to him with slight unease.

"Wait here," Ramza told his sister. "I am going after them. Lady Claire, Mustadio, I ask you: please watch over Alma and the Elder. Agrias and I will return!"

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure? You might need me—"

"No, you must stay with Alma." With that, he faced his sister and took hold of both her hands, handing her the pouch that held the stones. "I shall leave the auracite with you, lest the worst befall me. If I fail to return, cast it into the Bugross Sea."

Alma had tears in her eyes. "Ramza..."

"Please, Alma. Lady Claire and Mustadio will protect you."

As the pair retreated down the hall and closed the door behind them, Alma held the pouch close to her chest. Lightning stared down at the floor boards—the voice she had heard...Was it just a dream? She shut her eyes tightly, telling herself to just _wake up_. Mustadio's hand found hers, and she looked to him with a startled gaze.

"We should find somewhere safe," he whispered. "At least until they return."

**

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**

Alma desperately tried to heal the Elder's wounds, but no magick of any kind seemed to work. Lightning was pacing back and forth in front of the closed door; they had found a run-down cottage not too far from the monastery. She bit her lower lip as she moved from one wall to other, ignoring the nervous glances from the machinist.

"My child," the Elder whispered hoarsely, "the Stones...They contain dangerous beings. Beings that we humes cannot fight."

"Please, Elder Simon," Alma cried. "Do not speak."

Lightning stopped her pace and looked down. "He's delirious," she snarled, getting annoyed by their situation. How quickly things had fallen apart...

"You there." The Elder was staring up at her. "You are She?"

"I'm not who you think. I'm Lady Claire Bunansa—"

He wouldn't hear her. "No, it _is_ you...The Eternal? Lightning. Yes, he spoke of you...Said you'd come. For the Stone."

She bent down at his side. "He?"

"He tried to stop those men from attacking us...They took him, knowing he, too, was a heretic. He knew," a cough, "what the Stone was, you see...And now he is dead once more."

"Who?" Lightning grabbed the old man's hand and gripped tightly. "Tell me!"

"...He did not say."

"His name—_please_! You have to know!"

The doors swung open with a bang, and Lightning spun around just as Mustadio stood up. A blond man, a knight of sorts, stood in the path of the exit. "There you are!" he exclaimed, grinning like the Devil.

Alma moved away from the Elder and pulled the squire away from the knight's view, shoving her into a small storage room not a moment later. Before Lightning could protest, the young woman pulled the trench coat from the squire's shoulders and put it on. She, with teary eyes, lowered her head.

"Miss Claire, stay here!" she whispered. "You can't let them find you!"

Lightning tried to move past her, to where she could see Mustadio attempting to hold off the knight. "What? No, I promised Ramza I'd protect you!"

"Just stay here!"

The door was closed, locked, and Lightning repeatedly punched it. "No, dammit! You can't just—Serah!" She leaned her forehead against the wood, shutting her eyes. "Don't leave me..."

Outside the door, she could hear their voices. The chuckles of the proud knight, the raspy breaths of the Elder, and Mustadio's near-silent whimpers. Lightning tried opening the door once more, but it was no use.

"_This the girl?_" the knight asked. "_The Eternal?_"

"_I do not know_—"

The Elder's words were cut off with the swipe of a blade, and with a strangled cry he fell to the floor. Mustadio fired his pistol three times, but with a sickening snap it was sent flying from his hands. He mewled weakly, and Lightning knew that his wrist had been broken. Her cold blood seered within her veins, and she kicked the door again.

"_Hah! Just like the thief before you. Aye, you look alike. Just as foolish as well!_"

Mustadio words were studdered. "_Leave now! Th-this is no place for greedy men like you!_"

Another sword was drawn, and the machinist cried out in pain as he, too, was wounded. Alma gasped when Mustadio fell, and Lightning knew that the knight was advancing on her. How many more would suffer? For what cause, too?"

"_Eternal girl_," the knight growled. "_We've been chasing you around all of Ivalice. The girl wearing the colors of the phoenix_—_the mark hunted for many years. You will come quietly, girl, lest you want this whelp to die._"

Someone must have grabbed her, because Alma screamed. "_Let me go!_"

"_Isilud, take this heathen goddess away!_"

"Serah!" Lightning yelled, pushing against the door. She froze, realizing what she was saying. Serah was dead—she'd been gone for centuries! Why did she keep thinking that the girl was still among them? She yelled out again, kicking the door over and over, but nothing would work.

As she heard Ramza and Agrias return, she slid down the door and held her face in her hands. She needed to get out, she had people to protect! If they died—if Mustadio died—she would not be able to live with herself. Lightning pulled at her hair, biting her lip until it bled. She couldn't forget her promise. Snow never gave up on anyone, so she couldn't either. She could just hear him telling her to move, but she knew that there wasn't anything that could be done. He was laughing at her—wasn't he?

"Go away!" she cried to nothing. "Leave me alone already!"

Something pulled at the back of her mind, like the voice earlier that day. Her eyes could no longer see through the darkness around her, and the room seemed to be getting smaller by the second. Lightning held herself, whispering and murmuring to herself in an attempt to escape.

It seemed like years before the door opened behind her, and she fell against someone's legs. She could barely make out his silhouette in front of the dim candlelight, but she recognized that chuckle anywhere. But she had to have been dreaming. It just wasn't possible. He held out his hand, and she only lay there.

_'Come along, now, Light. There's someone else who needs you, I'm afraid.'_

Lightning grabbed his hand, and she stumbled out into the destroyed room. Ramza and Agrias had chased Alma's captor, and it seemed that no one was left alive; there was not even a sign that _he_ had been there. That is, until she spotted Mustadio laying on the floor, coughing and spitting up blood.

"Mustadio!" she breathed, dashing to his side. The boy looked up at her and gave her a weak, but toothy grin.

"Light—you're all right..."

She touched the wound in his stomach, ignoring the blood seeping onto her hands. "Hold on, okay?" Her voice cracked as she spoke. "I'll heal you."

White magick escaped her fingertips, and she forced the pain to subside for the time being. His wounds healed slowly, and he winced as his stomach was stitched back together. When the magick dissipated, Lightning pulled Mustadio into her arms and held him close.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered through trembling lips. "I won't let this happen again, Mustadio..."

He remained silent, but his arms moved around her shivering form, and he rested his head against hers. Ramza and Agrias rushed into the room, battered and tired, and eagerly looked upon the pair. But their attention moved elsewhere when the Elder rose from the floor, sputtering and wheezing. He held a book in his wrinkled hands, and held it out to the dark knight.

"Please, take this..."

Ramza held it, kneeling in front of the old man. His eyes, already lost from seeing his sister stolen, tiredly looked upon the worn pages."A book?"

The Elder nodded, coughing. "Written by a man named Germonique...one of Saint Ajora's disciples. It was lost for a great many years. Only recently did I discover it among the stacks of our reliquary beneath the monastery. It chronicles the true tale of the Zodiac Braves—no detail is omitted."

Agrias frowned, placing a hand upon his shoulder. "Please, Elder, you'll tire yourself."

"I am already so very tired...I have lived a life of sin. All these years I have turned a blind eye as the Church rotted with corruption. With this book, you can expose their misdeeds! You can win...Alma's freedom..." He collapsed into the dark knight's arms. "It all depends...on you, Ramza...Eternity will not last, and She will pass through this world...Protect Ivalice, Ramza...I beg you..."

His head fell back, and as Lightning stood up, a hand still grasping Mustadio's weak one, she watched as tears started to fall from Ramza's eyes. Agrias wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him back from the old man's body. It seemed that all that had happened, losing his sister and watching men die, had been too much.

"Elder Simon, no! _Alma_! Come _back_!"

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_:(_


	10. The Seeress

**Author's Note:** _So I just finished reading the epilogue to FF13 (_Final Fantasy XIII: Episode i_), and I'm pretty sure its a preview for a FF13-2. The ending of the epilogue reminded me of something I'd write; I mean, seriously! Having Lightning go _poof_! and have the rest of the group wonder where the heck she went is so Tango-sama. If they do make a sequel to FF13, I'd be very tempted to write something based on it, just because I'm insane. Mwahaha. What do you guys think?_

_Thank you, __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__ and __**Riku Uzumaki**__ for reviewing chapter nine!_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Ten

The Seeress

_**Circa Old Valendian 729**_

_The day that marked one year after Snow's death was one of the worst days of my eternal life._

_Balthier had locked himself in his room the night before, and as always, I sat outside the door and waited for him to emerge, looking as tired and desolate as ever. When he finally did walk past me, however, he was...smiling? I stood up, tentatively touching his hand and looking him in the eyes._

_"Hey," I whispered. "You okay?"_

_He shrugged and walked to the cockpit, where Fran was waiting for us. We would be visiting Ashe and her children today, though I knew Fran wanted to do anything but that. She never did like the Queen, ever since she had purposely killed Ragnarok and Balthier years before, or so I heard from Vaan and Penelo. Or maybe, like Balthier, she was upset about losing Snow._

_It seemed like I was the only one who had moved on._

_I had to teach myself how to let go of my friends, since someday, I would be alone. It was all in preparation for when Balthier would be leaving me, of course. Everything was because of Balthier._

_"What's on the agenda today, my dear?" Balthier asked Fran as he leaned against the back of her seat. "Terrorizing the Queen again, are we?"_

_"Perhaps, should you wish it." The viera didn't look in our direction, for some reason. "Though the Queen Ashe is not in the best of health, they say. She has fallen ill."_

_"A mere cold, no doubt. Bah, she has always been over reactive on these sorts of things, poor girl."_

_Fran shook her head. "They say it's the return of the Plague. Penelo has caught something like it, as well."_

_I saw Balthier's eyes widen. He gripped the co-pilot's seat, and though he kept his mask well, it wasn't hard to see that the news had, more so than anything, scared him._

_He and Penelo had been particularly close, and I was sure that it had something to do with the fact that she was just like Vanille. Unlike how he acted with Vaan, his so-called apprentice, Balthier openly admitted that he would teach the dancer all he knew about sky pirating. I knew that he was just trying to find some way to replace the moments he lost with Vanille after she was crystallized._

_"Penelo?" he whispered, squinting. "No, no. We just saw her but last week, didn't we? Yes, we did. She was perfectly fine. Fran, what you've heard must be a poorly created rumor."_

_"I heard it from Vaan himself."_

_I looked between them, and as soon as Balthier brushed past me, I moved. He was halfway to the door when I grabbed his arm, pulling him back. He narrowed his eyes at me, reminding me of that look he used to get when we'd first met, and pushed my hands away._

_"You can't go to her," I sternly told him, clutching his arm again. "Balthier, I can't let you catch whatever Ashe and Penelo have. Maybe it's their time, already. There's nothing you can do."_

_"Is there?" he snapped, moving away. "How would you know when their time will come? Did you know that _he_ was going to die? Is that why you told him to go to that damn battle?"_

_I reached for his hand. "Balthier—"_

_"I should have figured it out sooner. You wanted Snow out of the picture, didn't you? Never did like him, eh?" He turned away from me, and when I looked back at Fran, for help, only one of her ears twitched in our direction. I was alone on this one. "And now you seek to convince me that my Queen and dancer are to leave me? I'll have none of your silver-tongued words, Light."_

_It felt like the tears wanted to spring from my eyes, but they wouldn't. "_Your_ Queen and dancer?" My voice cracked. "Balthier, why are you saying this? I can't control death, and neither can you!"_

_"Maybe it's time I passed on as well, then."_

_My fingers tightened around each other. "You can't mean that..." I whispered, my voice nearly gone. "Balthier, you can't want to leave me now..."_

_Balthier's eyes met mine, and they returned to their normal tired and worn guise. Maybe it was because he could see how much I wanted to cry right then, but couldn't, or maybe he realized how much he really meant to me. In nearly three decades, he and I never said how we felt about each other. I never did understand why._

_"Light," he stammered, taking hold of both my hands in his own. "You must understand that I would not leave you willingly, but even then, I can't do a thing to stop what is to come. Death, the Fates, gods and goddesses...They hold me now."_

_I wanted to say something, to tell him that I'd be there to save him, but he was right. His fate wasn't in my hands. It never was. And so I made myself smile, hoping that I'd understand everything one day._

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If Snow was there, Lightning knew exactly what he would be saying: "_Hey, don't let one loss get to you! So what if the bad guys stole the Stones and Alma? You guys are heroes, and heroes never give up!_"

She ignored him, even though he wasn't there, and continued to tie the cloth around Mustadio's broken wrist. She had been taught magick by Fran, but she had forgotten how to mend broken bones. But, it wasn't as bad as she thought; Mustadio, after being given a few potions, was half asleep as she snapped his wrist back into place. Agrias was busy comforting Ramza, but every now and then she would check on the other two.

After she finished tying up his wrist, Lightning helped him stand and moved him to the only bed in the shack. A fire was lit in the hearth, their only source of heat, and Ramza was still staring into the flames when she sat down beside he and Agrias.

"I'm sorry about Alma," the squire quietly said, hugging her legs close to her chest. "Had I understood that those men were seeking to capture both the Stone and myself, I wouldn't have let her go."

"Why were they after you, Claire?" Ramza asked, meeting her gaze for the first time since Alma's kidnapping. "Did they know of your immortality?"

She shifted her position, leaning against the wooden nightstand. "Apparently. Alma pretended to be me, and they took her. They must be wanting to know how acquired this life. I don't care—they can take it from me."

"You wish to die?" Agrias was looking at her with cold eyes. "To give up on everything you've fought for?"

"Maybe. I've lived for nearly twelve-hundred years, Agrias. I'm an old woman in my mind. I just look young."

"But that doesn't mean you should wish for death."

"How would you know?" Lightning scowled, but continuing this argument wasn't worth her time. "Look, we'll save Alma and get the Stones back. You're..." She couldn't believe she was saying it. "You're the heroes, aren't you? Save the day, get the girl, stop the bad guy. It's simple."

The pair looked to one another, and Lightning turned her eyes toward Mustadio again. He was curled up beneath the blankets, snoring quietly despite the repetitive cracking coming from the fire. She smiled gently before gazing upon Ramza and Agrias again.

"Look, we'll figure something out. It's my fault that Alma was captured, so there's nothing else I can do but help you guys. For now, at least."

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They awoke the next morning to find that someone was already sitting beside the hearth. Cidolfus had his legs propped up onto the hearth's mantle, smoking a pipe and smirking when the four spotted him. His eyes then moved to Lightning, and with a wide grin he greeted her.

"You're a wanted woman these days," he said snarkly. "Half of Ivalice is looking for you, my dear phoenix."

"I've noticed." She folded her arms across her chest, tilting her head slightly. "Cid, what exactly are you here for? I thought you were off chasing a lead of your own."

"I was, and I found it." He stood up and pulled out a pale blue stone from his cloak. An _auracite_ stone. The familiar whispers filled Lightning's ear, though this time the voice belonged to that of a man. "This is the Aquarius Zodiac Stone. After defeating the Lucavi known as Famfrit, it is now under my control. Famfrit, however, has been searching for another. The heir of his Stone."

Both of Ramza's eyebrows rose. "Heir?"

"Famfrit, years ago, fought and was defeated by a man of science. This Lucavi, back then called an esper, has been passed through generation and generation of the scientist's family." Cidolfus held out the stone to Mustadio, who stared at it with big eyes. "I thought of giving it to your father, but after hearing from Lightning, I've decided to leave this Stone in your care. You are the heir to this Stone, Mustadio, as the youngest Bunansa left alive."

Lightning grabbed the stone before the machinist could take it. "Wait," she interrupted. "Famfrit's Stone must have a connection or bond with the Bunansa family. Are you so sure that Famfrit won't try to possess him as Cúchulainn did Delacroix?"

"Or Wiegraf and Belias?" Ramza agreed, and the squire glanced in his direction. He hadn't mentioned that to her at all.

Cidolfus laughed. "Listen to Famfrit's words, my phoenix. You can hear him, can't you?"

She watched the stone glisten in her gloved hands. _'You need not fear, Eternal one,'_ Famfrit chimed. _'I will protect the heir, not harm him. With my power in hand, he may call me to battle, as Odin was once your aid.'_

"You better keep to your promise, then," she growled, handing the stone to Mustadio. She turned toward Cidolfus. "So, anything else you wanted to tell us? It's not every day that the Thunder God himself pays a visit to us lowly squires and knights."

The named man smirked once more. "There is a woman I wish for you to meet, though I understand the paths of yourself and Ramza differ. I will ask you to part ways with him for a short while, if that is not a problem."

"Problem?" Lightning cast her eyes downward. "We have to rescue Ramza's sister, and win back the other Stones. And," she paused, "and I need to figure out something for myself."

"Which is why you must come with me."

She looked up, meeting Ramza's gaze. With one slow nod from him, she smiled and faced Cidolfus. "All right, I'll go with you. But I'm not going alone."

"Oh?"

"If I'm to go with you, Mustadio comes with."

The young machinist's eyes went wide and uneasily looked at them all. Cidolfus thought to himself for a moment, touching a finger to his chin, though eventually agreed. "Very well. We will leave when you and your machinist are prepared."

He left the room, and with a quiet sigh Lightning walked over to the bed, picking up her gunblade. It was shining dimly in the sun light, but she frowned upon seeing her reflection. Her aqua eyes were still vacant, but there was a barely visible glint in them—something that hadn't been there in the longest of time.

When she walked outside and found Cidolfus standing with a golden feathered chocobo, Ramza and Agrias were already waiting to say good-bye. Mustadio was examining the Aquarius auracite, trying to see if he could hear the voice that Lightning heard. Of course, all of his attempts failed.

"We will continue our own search for the other Stones," Agrias explained. "And we will find a way to rescue Alma. But, I cannot help but think that we will not see each other again, lest our paths cross unexpectedly."

Lightning shrugged. "Well, knowing me, I'll find you first. We'll be back after meeting with Cid's contact, so don't count us out of this story yet."

"Story?"

The squire smiled, touching the auracite piece around her neck. "Balthier used to say that a lot. Life was a story to him, and he was the leading man. Guess that makes me the leading lady again, doesn't it?" She shook her head. "At any rate, don't let yourselves forget that this is our story. Heroes never die."

Ramza laughed shortly. "Optimistic, are we?"

"It runs through the Bunansa family...and the Villiers family, too." She eyed the ragnarok blade hanging off of Ramza's belt. "Take care of that sword, will you? A friend of mine won't let me live it down if something happens to it."

"I promise, your sword is in good hands."

When Lightning looked over his shoulder, she saw Snow grinning proudly at her. His only connection to her was the ragnarok blade, and without it, she wouldn't be able to talk with him any longer. But she knew that she would be okay. Ramza and Agrias would be all right, too; they had a true hero watching over them.

As she sat behind Cidolfus on the chocobo, with Mustadio huddled up close behind her, Lightning looked over to the two knights one last time. "Hey, Ramza," she called. "Take care of Agrias, too. Don't let her go, all right?"

The dark knight's cheeks turned light pink, and he nodded embarrassingly. The chocobo ran off, and Lightning frowned as the figures of Ramza, Agrias and Snow disappeared within the trees.

"Good-bye."

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She must have unknowingly cast Sleep on herself, because when she opened her eyes, she was resting against Cidolfus' back. She groggily looked around the dark area, not recognizing where they were. Though, she could make out the faintest of smoke clouds coming from the center of the cliffs. Mustadio was fiddling with the bandage around his wrist, and after she grabbed his hand and stopped him from continuing, she peered over Cidolfus' shoulder.

"Cid, where are we going?" she asked, rubbing her tired eyes. She could hear Famfrit saying something to Mustadio—calling him 'yet another foolish Bunansa'. "You better not be leading us into some insane trap...Don't you remember the last time?"

"My dear phoenix, you are still too cautious." He chuckled. "But, do not worry. We are almost to our destination. I suggest you take your pistol-sword out now, for a battle will soon be upon us."

She took the hint and gripped one hand on the hilt of her gunblade, and motioned for Mustadio to pull out his weapon. He clumsily held his pistol in his left hand, since his wrist was still mending. As they approached the source of the smoke, she could see a group of bounty hunters sitting around a fire. With them was a woman wearing a thick black cloak, and a blind fold over her eyes. For a moment, something seemed to be drawing Lightning to her. She figured that was the woman Cidolfus had been talking about.

The chocobo came to a sudden halt, and the bounty hunters saw them as soon as the creature screeched. Lightning jumped off and made a bee-line for what looked to be the leader of the pack. She knew that Mustadio would be safe with Cidolfus for the time being, so she cleared her mind of any distracting thoughts as she faced her opponent.

He was a brute, to be honest. Tall, muscular, and not all that appealing. She grimaced when she caught a whiff of sweat, and gladly aimed her gunblade toward his forehead. One shot and he was down, and Lightning moved onto her next victim. She heard Cidolfus laughing as he fought against the lesser headhunters, obviously finding the task to be too easy. Sometimes she wondered about that man's sanity...

By the time they killed the last bounty hunter, Lightning felt that she could continue for the rest of the night. She went over to Mustadio, smiling faintly when he gave her a wide grin and a thumbs up. Cidolfus was already talking with the woman, taking her hand and helping her walk. When they approached the squire and the machinist, Lightning felt something familiar—a calm, but rash feeling. She looked at the woman, squinting.

"This is the seeress I spoke of," Cidolfus explained, letting go of the woman's hand. "My lady, this is the Lady Claire Bunansa and her machinist, Mustadio Bunansa."

The woman's pale face turned toward Lightning and Mustadio. "Bunansa," she breathed; her voice was gentle, but again, there was something...about her that seemed familiar. "I haven't heard that name in years, it seems."

"You know of that family?" Lightning asked. "Most people don't, these days..."

"I am not like most humes, and neither are you...Lightning."

The squire flinched, and with cautious eyes she watched the seeress pull down her hood and remove her blind fold. The piercing gray eyes caught Lightning off guard almost instantly, as did the confident smile upon her lips. Lightning covered her mouth, stifling her gasp.

"Ashe?"

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_Plot twist! :D_


	11. Cursed

**Author's Note:** _Square-Enix, I forgive you for adding Vaan to Dissidia 012. Why? Because you're adding Yuna to the game. I adore her. I'm tempted to write the crossover with her and Gabranth I've been thinking about for a long time. But not until I finish all my other stories..._

_In other news, _So Starstruck_ reached over 3,000 hits! I should do something special, but I'm totally out of ideas. Um...Well, maybe I could start working on my requests again. Yeah! So, if you guys want me to write some random fic-thing that fits into this series, I'll gladly write it, since you've all been so good to me._

_**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**Riku Uzumaki**__ and __**HopelessRomanticist**__: Merry Christmas/whatever awesome holiday you guys celebrate! Watch out for mistletoe. That beast is EVERYWHERE._

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Eleven

Cursed

It wasn't possible. Lightning had seen her die, and held her hand until her very last breath. But Ashe was there; young, radiant, and somehow _alive_. When they arrived at a local inn, she had removed her black cloak, revealing a red velvet dress with baggy white sleeves, and she wore her shoulder-length hair in a loose ponytail. The diamond sword was sheathed on her belt, and hanging from it were pouches that contained magick powders.

Mustadio was tossing the Aquarius auracite stone in the air and catching it, while Cidolfus was lounging on one of the beds, his pipe between his lips. Lightning was sitting across from Ashe on the floor, staring at the seeress. Ashe tilted her head gently, looking at the squire with a concerned gaze.

"I must say, I did not recognize you at first," she admitted. She eyed the array of earrings hanging from Lightning's ears, as well as the brown color of her hair. "I almost mistook you for a more feminine Balthier. Yet I knew you would be the one to come rescue me from those headhunters. Are you now my knight in shining armor?"

Lightning bowed her head slightly. "I'm nothing compared to your knight in shining trench coat."

"Are you so certain of that?" Ashe looked to Cidolfus, lips parted into a frown. "Orlandeau, I am curious. When you and I spoke the last time, you mentioned two Stones, but here I see only one."

Cidolfus reached into his cloak and pulled out a bright red crystal and handed it to Ashe. "The Libra Stone has been passed down the Orlandeau family for many generations. It contains the Lucavi Exodus, I've been told."

"He says he's not in league with Belias, and never actually met Cúchulainn," Lightning stated after listening to Exodus' words. He spoke in another tongue, one much like the native speak of the viera. "Unlike them, he chooses not to take over the minds of humes. He's on our side."

"I am glad to hear that." The seeress handed the stone back to Cidolfus, before standing up. "Lightning, if it wouldn't trouble you, I wish to speak to you alone. There are some things you and I must discuss, though I understand they is not for other ears to hear."

Mustadio, eyes narrowed, didn't meet Lightning's gaze when she walked past him. She almost thought of demanding that he go with her, too, but she wasn't ready to tell him that she couldn't die. Though, judging by the way he seemed to be avoiding her, he was well on his way to discovering the truth. Lightning frowned, only touching his shoulder once before followed Ashe into the back room.

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"How did you survive?"

Lightning didn't waste any time when she sat across from the seeress, keeping her eyes on Ashe's pale face. She wasn't angry, and she was feeling confused more than anything else. She was there when Ashe died, and witnessed her burial. Yet there she was.

"These Stones of the Zodiac," Ashe started, resting her hands in her lap, "they are what keeps me here with the living. I am not an Eternal, like you. My life is tied to the Stones. I live normally, like a hume, but after each life passes for me, I am reborn. Resurrected. This is the price I must pay for going against the wishes of the gods. Because I resisted the Occuria's control, I am bound to their Lucavi's Stones."

"Then why aren't the others here, too? They went against the Occuria, and the fal'Cie, just like us. But they're not cursed."

"I wish I knew. Perhaps it is because I was to be their Dynast-Queen, or perhaps it is my birthright. Or perhaps I, too, am no better than they. I sought power, shunned it, and nearly lost everything. I wanted to control a beast in hopes of restoring my kingdom, and nearly lost a dear friend. I wanted to be like the gods, but only found death. The gods still pull our strings, Lightning. All that has happened, and all that will happen, is their choice. Not our own."

The squire pursed her lips. "So, what? You die, get reborn, and repeat your life? You've been alive for just as long as me, right? So why didn't you come find me sooner?"

"I think you and I both know the answer, Lightning. You would have thought that I, like our friends, was just a mere fragment of your imagination." Ashe reached over and held one of Lightning's cold hands. "But they _are_ real, Lightning. I see them, too. Snow, Basch, Fran, Vaan, Penelo—"

"Balthier?"

Ashe paused, looking into the other woman's eyes. "No, I have not seen him. Balthier chooses not to show himself to either of us, knowing that the consequences would be dire."

"Consequences. What do you mean?"

"You never told me how he died, Lightning. I found out on my own, though I still wonder...Why?" Lightning pulled her hands away from Ashe, turning in the other direction. The seeress continued, "He did love you, Lightning. I'm sure of it. What he did, sacrificing himself—"

"If he loved me, he wouldn't have died," the squire spat. "He would have found some way to become an Eternal, to live forever with me—"

"You know that he couldn't. Don't you? Tell me, Lightning. Tell me what happened."

Lightning faced her again, though she refused to look at her directly. "It was just a few years after Snow died. Fran told me one morning that Balthier had taken the _Strahl_ to the Glabados Ruins, and I immediately went after him..."

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_**Circa Old Valendian 731**_

_It felt as if my heart was pounding in my chest, but that was impossible. My heart was gone_—_so why did it feel like it was still there? No, it wasn't possible. I was only imagining things, and what Fran had told me wasn't real, either. It just couldn't be. I wouldn't let it happen._

_My footsteps echoed throughout the ruin's halls, and the sound of Fran's heels no longer filled my ears. I knew the Glabados Ruins better than her, better than anyone else, but it seemed like I couldn't remember where I was going. There was only one thing on my mind at the time, one person that I needed to save. I only hoped that he hadn't fallen too far so soon. After all, there was still so much to be done_—_how much time had passed since that day? How long had we been together?_

_Not long enough._

_I found myself running through the same halls as I had years before, when Balthier decided to go after the auracite once more and get himself sent to a world unknown. I would have preferred that, to _this_. Everything that I was afraid of, everything I didn't want to happen...It seemed like it was all falling apart._

_The hidden chamber's path was clear. No undead tried to stop me, and it felt like it was the will of the gods that nothing was there. But why did it feel like all of _this_ was the gods' fault? Is this what they meant to happen, all along? I didn't care. I needed to find Balthier, save him and bring him home. I wouldn't lose him so easily. Not without a fight._

_By the time I managed to remember where I was going, it was already too late. I stood in the broken doorway, staring at the unmoving form sprawled on the stairs leading to the Cache's altar. Balthier had returned to this spot in hopes of finding the auracite again, in order to save himself, but there was nothing that would save him now. He had already said good-bye to Fran, she told me, and now...It was my turn to say good-bye._

_I fell to my knees at his side, my hands finding their way underneath his frail body and lifting him into my lap. Balthier's tired eyes opened, and he cracked a passive smirk. One of his hands rested upon my own, gently rubbing his thumb against my chilled skin._

_"And so the leading lady makes an appearance," he whispered. I didn't know what to say. "I wonder how your story will end, my dear."_

_"Balthier." I made sure not to look away from his nearly empty eyes, even though it hurt so much. Fran was standing in the entrance-way, utterly silent. "What were you trying to do?"_

_A faint laugh escaped his lips. "I didn't want you to worry. You've already been through so much, Light. And so much more is to come...Ah, how I tried to save you. But all my attempts, they will be in vain, in the end."_

_"I don't need to be saved," I reminded him. "I've been blessed with eternal_—_"_

_"No, no." His fingers tightened around my hand. "It was a curse. _Is_ a curse. You said so yourself, didn't you? Or at least, you will say that. No_—_Etro did not bless you. She _cursed_ you...And I gave my own life to curse you."_

_I only shook my head. He was wrong. I knew that he wasn't lying to me, but he was wrong. "You only did what you thought was best for me at the time, Balthier. What was best for _us_."_

_"I was selfish. Everything I did was done for me, for my selfish and lonely needs. I could not bear to live another day knowing that it was your blood on my hands." Balthier turned his gaze toward the necklace, the stone fragment, around my neck. "And so, I pulled you from the sky and damned you. Hadn't I? It is only now that I must pay the price."_

_"Price?"_

_"A life for a life. She did not tell me this back then, but in the year I left you behind, She told me the truth. The dead can't return to the living; not even a god can do that."_

_I heard something echo in the distance. It sounded like a cry. But I knew, there was nothing there._

_"If only I understood that then...Could have saved us all the trouble of fighting those gods, eh?" He tried to laugh, but he didn't have the strength. "All that running...and look where it's gotten me."_

_My eyes darted across his face, searching for the smallest hint that he was only pretending. I had to have been dreaming. I was afraid of this, and promised myself and him that I wouldn't let _this_ happen. But, I never could keep promises like Snow, and Balthier knew that._

_My heart, or whatever it was, was crying. If Snow was there, he wouldn't have let Balthier give up on life so easily. He always managed to change destiny, but I never could. And, despite what I wanted to believe, I could never be like Snow and could never replace him in Balthier's eyes. There were some things that I wasn't meant to understand._

_"Balthier, you're going to be okay," I breathed uneasily, holding him closer. Why was I telling more lies? "It's...it's not going to end like this. You can't leave me. Not now."_

_He was smiling. "Hadn't you best be off? The leading lady can't be caught dawdling just because her love interest is gone..."_

_"She's nothing without her leading man."_

_Balthier closed his eyes for a moment, then looked back up at my face. "Haven't been called that in years..."_

_"And he never dies, so don't think you can now. Okay?" I touched his cheek, forcing myself to give the slightest hint of a smile. "You've told me that so many times. Do you remember, back on Cocoon? You promised me that you wouldn't leave while others were in danger, or while I needed you." I bit my lower lip and said in but a whisper, "I still need you, Balthier."_

_"You don't know...how long I've waited to hear that from you..."_

_His head fell back against my arm, eyes closed, and as his last breath slipped from his lips, I could still feel the weak warmth of his skin. I rested my forehead against his, closing my eyes. The tears I had kept for this moment wouldn't come, and even if I remembered what it was like to cry, it was no use._

**

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**

"It wasn't until later that I understood what he meant. In order to make me an Eternal, Balthier had to trade his life to Etro. He lost the will to live, knowing that he'd someday die. There was nothing I could have done to stop him."

Ashe moved closer to Lightning, placing her hand upon hers. "If you had the chance, would you save him? Stop him from giving his life to the gods?" she asked. "That path only leads to suffering, Lightning. Be your suffering or his, no good will come from changing the past."

"We hold auracite. If we learned how to use it, I could go back to him." Lightning eyed the window over their heads. "Maybe I could even find a way to kill an Eternal. To kill myself."

"You can't wish for that. You have a place here now, with Balthier's descendant. Mustadio." The seeress closed her eyes for a few seconds. "Do you remember that vision of the future? You, standing against an angelic goddess, and a boy who looked like Balthier standing with you. That is your future, Lightning. You will confront this goddess, and you will stand with Mustadio. That is your destiny."

They returned to the other room, where Cidolfus was sleeping and Mustadio was staring at the fire. He didn't look up when Lightning stood beside him, nor did he even acknowledge her presence. Sighing, she retreated to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. The bright glint had returned in her eyes, though her pale face nearly frightened her. She almost looked like a ghost, and even though she felt that way, it didn't seem real.

Lightning touched the mirror, tracing a finger to the reflection of the auracite necklace. Her necklace, the lightning-bolt charm, was encased in a coffin deep within the ground. The violet jewel sparked dimly, and she looked to her face once more.

_'You've changed, Lightning. Have you found the means to fight again?'_

She held a strand of her brown hair between two fingers, and eyed the reflection almost solemnly. Lightning smiled when she saw a figure standing behind her, barely touching her shoulder with a pale, comforting hand. "What do you think, Serah? Have I changed?"

Morning came sooner than expected, and Lightning was prepared to reveal her new-found plan to the others. Cidolfus' eyebrow raised when he lay eyes on her changed appearance, though a grin played at his lips.

In the middle of the night, Lightning had washed all the dye from her hair, returning it to its surprisingly natural pink color. She still wore the three earrings in each ear, though her squire armor had been replaced by a white blouse and a dark brown vest, a tight skirt made of chromed leathers, and black boots that went up to her knees. Her crimson cape hung over her left shoulder, held up by a pad bearing the symbol of the Old Order of Dalmasca Knights.

Mustadio seemed the most surprised by the change, though he grinned when she actually smiled at him. Ashe, on the other hand, was quietly content from where she stood by the door, humming gently.

"I'm not through yet," Lightning announced. "There's one last place I need to go before we go after the rest of the auracite. Midlight's Deep isn't too far from here. You can either go along or stay here, I don't care. I need to confront my past in order to move on. To the future."

"You do know what lies in wait there, don't you?" Cidolfus asked, eying her proud stance. "A beast more terrifying than the gods. Can a mere squire handle it?"

"I don't know, you tell me." She smirked. "Whatever beastie is down there, it doesn't matter. I'm ready for anything."

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Midlight's Deep was a part of Lemurés, but when it fell, the massive chasm was buried underneath the remains of Landis. Lightning had been there only once before, when she, Vaan and Ashe had gone to fight the beast called Yiazmat. They defeated it after what seemed to be days, though rumors flew around that it had risen again over the years.

"It's hard to see what you'll find down there," Ashe said, sighing heavily. "Or that you may even return."

The squire shrugged, smirking. "You say as if it's a bad thing. But, you may be right. I might not be able to handle whatever's down there on my own." She glanced toward the machinist. "Mustadio, you're coming with me, aren't you? I might need you and that Lucavi-esper of yours."

"Uh." Mustadio nervously looked at Cidolfus and Ashe, wondering why they weren't invited to go along. "Of course I'll go with you, Light."

Ashe seemed amused at hearing him call Lightning that, and waved a hand as if to shoo them along. "Go, but be careful. I will keep an eye out for you, in case anything too dangerous comes across your path."

Lightning nodded and jumped down the chasm, and though he was reluctant, Mustadio trailed after her. She landed on her feet onto the steaming ground, and managed to catch the young machinist before he could brake any more bones. The two of them studied their surroundings, until Cidolfus' voice was heard above.

"Bring back a scale of the beast, if you can! I would enjoy seeing the looks on the faces of others when I carry it!"

She rolled her eyes before sauntering down the path. The burnt ground itself creaked as they walked, and the mold along the cavern's walls seeped into their boots. Mustadio covered his nose, disgusted by the scent, while Lightning only grimaced. Something had to have died down there—something other than foolish humes looking to prove themselves. Mist crawled around their legs, caressing them with its golden clouds.

Famfrit chuckled at Mustadio's anxiousness. '_Calm, boy. You needn't worry. You have an Eternal protecting your meager soul._'

Lightning scowled. "Mustadio, you can't hear the Lucavi, can you?"

He blinked; confused. "Famfrit? No, I can't. Why? You can hear it, then?"

_'Best tell the boy about your eternal life, Claire Bunansa. He will find out, eventually.'_

"Yeah, I can hear him. He says you shouldn't worry about being here."

"I shouldn't?"

"I'll keep you safe. I promise."

Again, the Lucavi was clearly amused. _'After losing my first bearer, you sought to forget him. Now all you wish to do is replace him. I do not mind; this boy is much like my earlier master. He is worthy of my power.'_

She ignored him and continued on her way, pushing through vines and grimy creatures that tried to latch onto their skin. The cavern seemed endless, and with each level they passed, the scent of decaying bodies continued to increase. It didn't bother her, since she didn't need to breathe, and Mustadio hadn't complained about it since entering Midlight's Deep. She had nothing to worry about—or so she hoped.

They eventually came upon an open area that resembled the auracite's chamber in Lemurés. All light seemed to fade when they set foot inside, and a low growling erupted from beneath their feet. Lightning unsheathed her gunblade, looking all around. When she paused to check on her companion, Mustadio collapsed all of the sudden with a weak cry.

"Mustadio?"

She bent down beside him, turning him over. His face had paled, and he had fainted due to some unknown force. Lightning looked around as the growling came closer, squinting until she lay her eyes upon the moldy green plants that had attached themselves to the walls and ground.

"Mossfungus," she cursed, turning her eyes back to the fallen machinist. She should have known that foul fungus would be in an abandoned place where many humes had met their death. It was poisonous to all living things, which she experienced during the Fifty Years' War, and she unfortunately didn't have an antidote on her.

Things made a turn for the worse when the shadow of a massive beast covered her. Lightning turned around, gunblade held out in front of her, and faced Yiazmat. It snarled upon seeing her for the second time in over a thousand years, swinging its tail around the moment it recognized her. Lightning dove forward and covered Mustadio, holding him close to her chest as she looked upon the giant fiend.

A burst of light Mist energy shot past her, followed by a dark magick beam. Yiazmat reared, roaring loudly and burning Lightning's eardrums. She barely heard the clanking of armor as the figure stood between her and the beast, though when she saw the long ponytail of pale blonde hair, she smirked.

The once-Judge of Wings held up her excalibur blade, facing Yiazmat alone.

**

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_Mydia's alive, too. Did I forget to mention that?_

_So, I really did forget to tell you guys the results of the poll on my profile in regards to the ending of this story. It'll be mostly happy, but it will have some sad parts. I've got it alllllll planned out, too. Also, there's a new poll up about the story I'll be working on once this series is over. Feel free to vote and ask any questions!_


	12. Different Kind of Revenant

**Author's Note:** _Yeah, instead of surprising you guys with more character additions, I'm telling you right now: Fang and Vanille are back. They weren't among the "ghosts" haunting Lightning, so it was obvious they were coming back, just like Ashe, Mydia and Balthier. Although, they won't be in the story as long as them. Why? Because I'm mean. And I am insane. I've said that a lot, but, yes. I'm pretty sure I'm partially insane, at the least._

_Late Christmas present to y'all, __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__ and __**Riku Uzumaki**__. I don't normally say "y'all", but it's better than saying Meennie-SOO-ta (Minnesota). I have a slight Norwegian accent, yes. Random fact of the day. And now let's get this show on the road._

_NO. WAIT. __**TGD**__, there's a reference in this chapter to a conversation you and I had. I just had to include it. I also took your advice and made Lightning laugh in this chapter. :)_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Twelve

Different Kind of Revenant

Lightning was getting rather tired of seeing her comrades from the past. Having Snow haunt her just because she held the ragnarok blade for more than a thousand years was one thing, but meeting up with a princess turned seeress and the Judge of Wings herself was completely different. Either her past truly was making a comeback, or she was finally nearing the end. She almost wished for the latter, but then she remembered she was currently trying to revive her fallen machinist.

The Judge of Wings—or rather, Mydia was holding off Yiazmat while Lightning desperately tried remembering the incantation for the Esuna spell. But it was a white magick spell and she couldn't risk knocking herself out when there were others in danger. She didn't even know if that particular spell would stop the mossfungus from spreading.

"Mydia," Lightning called out, cradling Mustadio in her arms. "It's no use! We need to get out of here!"

That earned her one of the only few glares that would make chills run down her spine. There had been only a handful of people who were able to do that, too. Mydia, obviously, and, of course, _him_. But that was an entirely different subject she didn't feel like sharing.

"Then leave," the Judge snarled. Her narrowed bright eyes were barely visible underneath her helmet. "But I will not rest until this beast is gone."

Lightning cursed under her breath, lifting Mustadio's limp body over her shoulder and dashing for the exit. Yiazmat was too distracted by the flurry of light and dark magick beams to notice she was making a run for it, let alone taking away the opportunity of catching two new victims. Countless thoughts brushed through her head as she ran: what had Mydia been doing down there? How was she still _alive_? And why wouldn't that one man she wanted to see more than anything come back, too?

She was starting to get fed up with all this madness. And, as always, the gods were to blame. There was no doubt in her mind that they were trying to find some way to ruin her eternal life even more. Well, they would be in for a surprise, wouldn't they?

"Light?"

Mustadio's feeble voice caught her attention, and she halted her run to set him down on the ground. He was staring at her with green eyes, which Lightning knew were caused by the poison currently running through his veins. His skin was still paler, almost as pale as her own, and the haggerd cough that escaped his lips didn't improve things. He tried saying something to her, but she touched a finger to his lips.

"It's going to be okay," she assured him, keeping a tender hand holding his shoulder. "You don't have to worry about anything, all right?"

He closed his eyes, and Lightning pulled him into her arms again. She could just feel the warmth leaving his body as she cradled him, and just holding him reminded her of all the nights she would spend wishing that she wasn't alone. She finally had someone, and just like that he would be leaving her. She lost Serah first, then Ragnarok, and _him_. She had watched them die, felt their life leaving their bodies. They were as dead as she was, but then again...She was still alive. Wasn't she?

The clamor from below disappeared as time went on, but she could still hear Yiazmat's roars. Mustadio's strength was faltering, too, but she tried pretending that he was only going to sleep. She ran a finger down his cheekbone, and he looked at her with a tired, lost look in his eyes.

"Light, what's wrong?" he asked; so weak. "You look...sad. I mean, you've always looked like that, but—it's different."

She cast her eyes downward. "Different? Yeah, I am different," she sighed, and the words seemed to just slip from her lips. "I should have told you sooner. I should have...I could have done something. Guess eternity isn't what it was cut out to be, huh? That's what I get for being cursed with the life of an Eternal."

Mustadio broke out into a fit of coughs again, but he acted as if it was a mere cold. "Th-the cardinal spoke of them. People who can live forever. Ashe is one of them, right? Or at least something of that...sort."

"Something like that." She touched his hair again, only realizing then how soft it was. "Do you remember the grave we visited, before we were branded as heretics? Ffamran's the man I've mentioned to you—he's Balthier. The one who made me this way. The one who...died for me." Lightning frowned. "I'm over a thousand years old, Mustadio, and I can't seem to die no matter how hard I try. I'm just like the people in the stories. An Eternal."

The machinist was quiet.

"I lived in the Age of Technology, where the air ships flew in the sky that was ruled by pirates. My gunblade is from another world, a world called Cocoon. That was where I was born, and I used to think it was where I would die, too." She laughed quietly. "But then I met Balthier, and everything changed. I became what I am now, and spent years watching Ivalice warp into something I couldn't recognize. There was so much I could have done, just like I promised Ashe, but I just..._moped_ for a thousand years." Biting her lower lip, she turned her gaze back to Mustadio's dazed expression. "Then you found me."

A grin slowly formed on his lips, but his eyes widened and another coughing fit took over. Blood dripped onto his gloves as he covered his mouth, and Lightning found herself unable to do a thing. Mustadio collapsed into her arms, whimpering and quietly pleading to nothing.

"Mustadio!" Lightning moved him onto the ground, laying him in front of her. "Mustadio, hold on!"

She looked around for anything that could help him. Something that could stop the gods from taking him away. Lightning looked back down, and suddenly saw _his_ seemingly sleeping body lying there. Again—it was happening all over again.

A metal hand grabbed her shoulder and shoved her aside, and before Lightning could strike back, Mydia was bent over Mustadio's body. She held a small tube of green liquid in one hand, and was tilting the machinist's head back with the other. The vial's contents was poured into his mouth, and he started to splutter and cough at the foul taste. He tried sitting up, but the Judge held him down with a firm hand.

"Claire, you must carry him. I will handle any fiends that may cross our path," Mydia commanded, moving away from the boy and drawing her excalibur sword. "Your allies; they are above ground, yes?"

Lightning only nodded, lifting Mustadio's trembling body into her arms. She held him close, still stunned and realizing that he had been so close to death. That she had been so close to losing him. She broke out into a canter, moving through the vines and moss that hung from the cavern as if they were non-existent. She couldn't risk allowing the poison to affect him again, not when she was so close to getting out of there for good.

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It was unclear as to how Mydia had managed, after fighting Yiazmat, to lead them to her safehouse just outside Midlight's Deep. Cidolfus was frustrated with Lightning upon seeing her carrying a barely conscious Mustadio, though Ashe reminded him that nothing bad would have happened to either of them. She must have known all along what Lightning went down their to confront: herself. Her past, present and future, as cliche as it was.

Damn princesses for constantly knowing everything.

"Lay him on the couch," Mydia called as they entered the safehouse. A two room place, a less homely than the cottage Lightning had secluded herself in for hundreds of years. The wood shelling wasn't much of a shield to the cold winter wind, but it was better than nothing.

As the squire did as she was told, Mydia removed her helmet and set it down on one of the tables. Her long blonde hair fell onto her shoulders and back, and her short hare-like ears stood erected on top of her head. Mustadio, already in a hazy state from the effects of the antidote, stared at her with a dumbstruck look on his face.

"You acquaint yourself with the oddest of sorts, Lightning," Cidolfus remarked, holding back a sheer smirk. "A Feol viera hiding behind the mask of a Judge? Aye, truly queer."

Mydia turned her nose upward. "I could say the same to you, good ser," she huffed. "The worshipped Thunder God is standing before me, but all I see is an old man with less of a mind than before."

"Touche, lass."

Lightning ignored their banter and continued to check Mustadio for any signs of lingering poison. Ashe was beside her, though she was shuffling through one of the pouches on her belt. She pulled out a vial much like the one Mydia had, and examined it. Through the corner of her eye, she spotted the squire's uneasy expression and smiled.

"Oh, try not to be so tense, Lightning," she purred. "It's only a mere tranquilizer. Mustadio needs to recover from the poison, and he can't do that while staring at Mydia's ears. Here." Ashe handed the vial to the squire. "Give this to him, and just stay with him until it wears off. Can you do that for me?"

"Like I have a choice." _More like, I don't need you to tell me to do something I already planned on doing._

The seeress dragged the other two into the second room, leaving Lightning alone with a pretty much drugged Mustadio. After being given the second potion, he was too busy staring at the ceiling to notice, to be quite redundant, that she was contently staring at him. It didn't help much that when he finally met her gaze, he started laughing.

Lightning scowled, sitting up and scooting away from him on the couch. "What?" was all she managed to growl.

"So, if I accidentally shot you," he said, reaching for the gun in his holster, "you wouldn't die?"

"No."

There was an awkward, long silence, until the boy actually pulled out his gun and aimed it between her eyes. Lightning swerved away, grabbing the pistol and stuffing it underneath one of the pillows. Mustadio whined quietly, but still laughed not too long later. She was half-tempted to confront Ashe and ask what the _hell_ he had been given. His eyes were glassed over, a lot like the look _he_ would get everytime he got a tad bit too drunk. Lightning sighed heavily, leaning against her palm and focusing on the small boiler in the corner of the room.

"Light?"

She glanced in his direction. "What, Mustadio?"

"Thank you. For telling me, finally." He grinned sheepishly. "It's been hard not telling you that I knew it all alone. You're a terrible liar, Light."

_What?_ How could he have figured it out? Lightning rolled her eyes. "You're welcome, then."

"I mean, I didn't know about you and my, uh, ancestor. That's completely new." Mustadio's cheeks flushed. "Things are just...slightly awkward now. Just a bit."

"Awkward? Mustadio, just because I admitted to being in a relationship with Balthier, doesn't mean things have to change between us."

"Well, I suppose." If it was possible, his cheeks flushed even more. "Does that mean you're my great, great, great, great—"

"Mustadio." She had to hold back her laughter. "I never had kids, and I never will. I'm not related to you in any way, so don't worry. And, besides..." She leaned back against the cushion, gazing upon the wooden ceiling. "Balthier wouldn't have wanted to be a father. Suppose that explains why he ran out on the women he was sleeping with when I wasn't looking."

That didn't seem to settle well with him. "What?" He got closer to her, and Lightning noticed that his eyes were almost back to their normal color. "He was a _philanderer_?"

"He had a viera for a partner, since before he and I met. When he found me, he already managed to charm a young girl named Vanille, somehow my sister Serah, and this wild woman named Fang. Snow's friend, Lebreau, was quite sad when Balthier disappeared, too. After she remembered him, of course."

"And you're...okay with that? With him being all...you know?"

"I never knew," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "He might have just been too crazy sowing his wild oats in his youth, for all I know."

Mustadio was the first to start laughing, and Lightning couldn't help but join him.

**

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"Feol viera live longer than the normal viera. That is why I am still here."

Lightning was sitting behind Mydia on a chocobo when she had to ask how she was still alive. She'd forgotten that Feol viera had the mixtune of hume and viera genes, as well as that of aegyl, too. Perhaps being of Feolthanos' blood had something to do with it? All she knew was that she wasn't going to get much more of an answer, not until later on.

Mustadio was sitting behind her, and Ashe and Cidolfus were on the other chocobo. They were headed to Dorter, hoping to catch up to Ramza and Agrias—wherever those two were. Now that they had found Ashe, and Lightning no longer needed to hide her immortality, things were finally on the right track. Then again, some things enjoyed sneaking up on her. Especially the past.

The chocobo skid to a halt, and Lightning's head shot up the moment she heard something rustling in the trees. Mustadio was just as alert as she, though he wasn't as quick in pulling out his weapon. A figure jumped down from above, landing on its feet in front of the leading chocobo. It—no, it was a hume. She held a lance in her hands, and the slyest of chuckles rose from her throat.

A gust of wind knocked Lightning and Mydia off the chocobo, although Mustadio managed to hang on. Cidolfus was whipping his head around in every direction, defender blade already drawn, and Ashe was calmly sitting on their chocobo with a subtle, yet twisted smile on her pale face.

Another figure, a younger woman, joined the first one. With a wave of her hands, the earth underneath Lightning's feet opened up, and vines wrapped themselves around her legs. The younger girl giggled before revealing her face.

Lightning just about shot herself when Vanille and Fang stood in front of her.

"Caught you, Light!" the redhead cheered, grinning like a cat. "Fang didn't think I would be able to catch you, but I did!"

"I'm surprised," Fang added, removing her dragoon helmet and shaking the sweat from her bangs. Her wild hair was tied into a wavy ponytail. "Didn't think it was possible for the _all powerful_ Lightning to get captured by anyone. 'Cept that pirate of yours."

From the way she was dressed and the way she attacked, Vanille was a geomancer; her hair was longer and lighter, and was separated into two thick braids that lay on her shoulders. Fang hadn't changed much, though instead of her sari she wore the armor of a rogue dragoon. Still revealing as ever, nonetheless.

"Can you at least get rid of these things around my legs?" Lightning groaned, resting her gunblade on her shoulder. "I don't like being tied up."

"Sure you don't," Fang purred. Vanille shrugged and waved her hand, and the vines returned to the ground. When Mustadio peered around the chocobo's head and jumped off, standing behind Cidolfus and Mydia, Vanille just about knocked him over with what Snow used to call her _death-by-hug_ attacks.

"I knew you'd find a way to get immortality!" she squealed, hugging Mustadio around his neck. "Balthier, I've missed you more than anything!"

Fang raised an eyebrow, tapping a finger on her chin. "He's younger than I 'member," she noted. "And blonder. Light, have you been feedin' him? He's skin and bones, too."

From where she stood leaning against one of the chocobos, Ashe directed her eyes to Lightning, anticipating her answer. The squire sighed before moving Vanille away from the machinist, who was clearly in need of rescue. "This isn't Balthier," she stated, and the light in Vanille's eyes seemed to fade at that moment. "Mustadio's his youngest descendant, actually. That's probably why they...look alike." She seemed to be realizing this just then, too.

"You mean your pirate actually bred with someone else?" Fang let out a hearty laugh. "Always knew he wouldn't be faithful to you..."

"Then..." Vanille frowned; such an expression was foreign to her still-young face. "Where's Balthier?"

Lightning didn't know how to answer that. All she could do was hold out the auracite around her neck, hoping that would shed some light on the situation. Vanille was staring at it with surprisingly still dry eyes, though she didn't say anything.

"Ah. Didn't get the immortality, did he?" Fang sighed heavily, rubbing the back of her neck and turning toward the rest of the group. Lightning noticed that she wasn't making any crude or suggestive remarks about her slight _possessive_ problem with a certain sky pirate. "Shame. I would've liked to see him again."

Awkward silences seemed to follow Lightning more than they had before. Vanille had gone silent, for once, and Fang didn't look like she wanted to talk about _him_ anymore. Mustadio gladly changed the subject.

"What exactly brought the two of you to ambush us?" he asked.

The two Oerbans exchanged sudden grins. Lightning didn't know if she should have been scared, or worried that they seemed to be suffering from a multiple personality disorder. Maybe whatever had happened to Cocoon (which would explain the fact that they were no longer crystalized) had altered them?

"We thought you would be interested in a bit of news," Vanille stated, though she still looked weary of Lightning's necklace.

Mydia crossed her arms. "News?"

"Yeah." Fang smirked. "We know where one of your Zodiac Stones is."

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_Told you they'd be back. And yes, Ashe is kinda crazy. I think Mustadio's the only sane one there..._


	13. Gemini

**Author's Note:** _I'm starting to get very sad. I don't want this series to end. :( But! I'm hoping all the new stories I've come up with will be able to replace the sad, empty hole in my heart. I've actually got two spin-offs planned for this series. One is a Snow-centric story that takes place between __Bad Bromance__ and __24__, and the other is a story based off the novel-epilogue of _Final Fantasy XIII_. And I've got my other crossovers, too...Okay, I'm happier now. :)_

_**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**Riku Uzumaki**__ and __**HopelessRomaniticist**__, I wish I could give you guys each a hug. Cyber-hug! Whoo! And, yes, some of you may kill me at some point during this chapter. Lightning needs to stop being so dense and figure out she's got a flippin' stalker! ;)_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Thirteen

Gemini

It was almost horrifying to see her own face in the collection of wanted-criminals (in this case, heretics) on the wall of the Tavern in Goug. She was still called the "Phoenix", though a new added note claimed that she couldn't be killed. Mustadio saw this and grinned, then pointed to a poster with his own face on it. There were ones for Ashe (though she was named as "Amalia"), Cidolfus, Ramza, and Agrias, too. There were others, but she didn't recognize any faces.

"Good thing we're in Goug," Fang announced, propping her legs on the table between herself and Lightning. "All the miners here don't care about heretics or Hunts. We're free as birds here."

"I still feel like a caged bird," Vanille chimed, leaning forward and resting her head over her folded arms. "What good is a world where you can't fly?"

Lightning silently cursed whoever started this 'bird' obsession. She glanced over a poster that had no image and was titled 'the Godless Thief'. With a curt scoff, she eyed the bounty and whistled quietly; it was nearly as high as hers.

"We can stay with my father for the night, before we leave for the city below," Mustadio suggested. "I've not seen him since the incident with the Trading Company."

That seemed so long ago, Lightning mused. "We don't have much of a choice, since _someone_ decided to waste the rest of our Gil on a new sword." She glared at Ashe, who was smiling gently. Her gaze returned to Mustadio. "And besides that, I've got a few things to ask your father."

His cheeks paled. "Pardon?"

"He might know more about your family. I'm only curious. You don't need to get all worked up, Mustadio."

He relaxed, fidgeting with the fingers of his gloves. "Right, right."

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Fang was smirking when she walked with Lightning through the city later that day. "You know, seeing you and Mustadio interact brings back memories. I seem to 'member somethin' back in the good ol' days on Cocoon. Like that time me, you and Balthier ran rampant 'round Palumpolum?" Her smirk widened. "He must've been blind or somethin'. Didn't realize you were fallin' for him or that he was already head over heels for you."

The seeress, walking not too far after them, seemed intrigued. "I've never heard that tale," Ashe stated. "Snow used to tell me his side of the story whenever I asked, but never did I hear of Balthier's experience. Come to think of it, he always refused to speak of it."

"There were some things that happened," Lightning said in a quiet voice, "that we still don't like talking about."

"What, you mean that whole deal with him bein' Ragnarok?" Fang rolled her eyes. "The past's the past, Lightnin'. Balthier's gone, Ragnarok's gone...Hell, everyone's gone. Me and Vanille managed to wake up from crystal stasis only 'cause we're needed here. Our ex-Queen here is tied to your Zodiac Stones, and Mydia's got some god-complex goin' on. And you? You're the only _real_ eternally livin' thing here."

"Your point is?"

"Move _on_, Lightnin'. Now that Balthier's gone, you don't have to keep his secrets. Then again, whatever happened 'tween the two of you ain't my business."

"But it still matters," Ashe added.

"Eh, maybe. With that kid followin' her everywhere, she doesn't need to hang on to that pompous pirate anymore."

Lightning pursed her lips. "I'm right here, you two."

"Don't pretend we haven't noticed how protective you are of the kid, Lightnin'." The dragoon stretched out her arms, slowing her pace. "Scratch that—you're just down right _possessive_ of him. Everytime Vanille tries to get to know him, you get all moody. I see what you're tryin' to do. You want to fill that empty hole in your dead heart that Balthier left behind. Right?"

"There is no one in this _entire world_ that can replace him," Lightning spat angrily. "Balthier meant something to me. No, not just something—_everything_. I would give anything to just keel over and die right now! I wouldn't have to deal with the Lucavi and their Stones, or whatever higher power is controlling them. I'd be with Balthier. Nothing else would matter to me."

"You'd be leavin' Mustadio behind." When the squire turned away, Fang shook her head. "Just admit it, Lightnin'. Even if you could, you wouldn't leave this world knowin' he'd be in danger. Balthier's blood runs through his veins, and that's why you can't seem to leave him alone. You won't say it out loud, but being with him is almost like being with Balthier. Just like I said."

Lightning ignored everyone around her for the rest of the walk to the Bunansa home. She forgotten how pestering it was to spend so much time with regular humes, even ones that she had thought were dead. Fang and Vanille were crystallized and thought to never return, Ashe had succumbed to the Plague when it hit Rabanastre, and Mydia had disappeared after Lemures collapsed.

She was just glad that she didn't have Snow haunting her anymore.

The Bunansa house was smaller than she expected, since, to be exact, they should have been considered as nobility. But, much like Ashe lost her royal privileges, the Bunansa name had fallen in line with the lower class.

Mustadio's father, Besrudio, was overjoyed to have his son back at home. He'd seen all the wanted posters, and Zalmour had even come seeking the boy before he confronted Ramza and the others not long ago. Lightning made a silent note to kill that man before he had a chance to find Mustadio, or any of the other heretics.

"You lot aren't the first to show up on my doorstep today," the older man explained, setting down mugs of tea for the group. Lightning was sitting between Mydia (who wore a hat to hide her ears) and Ashe, watching Mustadio fiddle with a new pistol model he started working on.

"We aren't?" Vanille asked, cocking her head. "Not more bounty hunters, I hope!"

Besrudio laughed heartily. "No, the bounty hunters know better than to stumble upon a Bunansa. The other visitor today was a man who, like you, has been branded by the Church as a heretic. He didn't say his name, though. He's out back, right now, trying to mend whatever wounds he earned in the past few days." A chuckle rose from his throat. "Perhaps if any of you know magick, you could help the poor sop. He's been complaining since he got here."

Ashe immediately stood, picking up the skirt of her dress and walking away from the group. Lightning and Fang exchanged looks when she departed through the doorway, suspicious.

"By the way, my boy, what became of that Stone you found?" Besrudio turned toward his son.

Mustadio squirmed uncomfortably. "Well, you see...We lost the Taurus and Scorpio Stones when Ramza's younger sister was captured. The knights sought some other Stone, if I remember."

"The Virgo Stone," Cidolfus finished. "The one that contains the leader of the Lucavi: Ultima."

Perking up, Lightning felt a slight twinge at her heart. "Ultima?" she questioned. "She's the one in charge of the Lucavi?"

"You didn't know, my phoenix? Ultima was sealed within the Stone in your time. Nearly twelve-hundred years ago...No wonder her followers are seeking the Stones. They must want to bring her back or some such."

Vanille bit her lip, crossing her arms. "I miss the days when there weren't any gods trying to take over the world."

"Gods have often thought the same of humes," Mydia muttered with a slight scowl. "Humes pick upon the gifts they are given, only to toss them aside as if they mean naught. The gods—fal'Cie, Occuria, Lucavi—they only tried to shape the world into something new. Do you blame them for wanting to change the ways of humes?"

"At the expense of everyone's lives?" Lightning clenched the fist that was resting upon her crossed legs. "Yeah, I blame them. It's their fault everything's come out this way."

"Light is sour when it comes to the gods," Mustadio mentioned to his father. "They're the ones who made her...you know. Eternal."

She didn't mind that he had told Besrudio about her secret. It wasn't much of a secret, anyway. At least it saved her the trouble of telling him later on. "It's not the fal'Cie or whatever that made me this way. The goddess protecting whatever's left of Cocoon and Gran Pulse. Etro. It was her power that changed me."

"Well, she wasn't the one who brought me and Vanille back," Fang admitted, folding her arms behind her head as she leaned back. "Actually, we don't even know who sent us here. We woke up in this odd place with only the vision of a Stone in our heads."

"The Gemini Stone," Vanille happily said.

"You wouldn't happen to know if that's another one of those evil Stones, would you, Cid?"

The old man shrugged. "Ask our phoenix. She can talk to the Lucavi within the Stones."

Famfrit wasted no time in adding in his own comment when Mustadio pulled out the Aquarius auracite. _'Gemini, representing the Twins,'_ the Lucavi murmured. _'You know of the esper that once represented that Zodiac Sign, Eternal one. Zalera, the Angel of Death. Or the Death Seraph. He changes his name, often.'_

Lightning frowned. "Yeah, but is he on our side, or do we have to fight another Lucavi?"

_'As the Lucavi representing the undead, what do you think?'_

She sighed, tearing her eyes away from the stone. "I'm pretty sure we're gonna have to fight if it's possessed someone already. Zalera's no pushover, either."

**

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**

"Mustadio said you wanted to speak with me?"

During the night, when everyone else was resting, Lightning found Besrudio in the basement of the house, working on some unknown project. Mustadio, fast asleep, was laying under the work table. The elder Bunansa didn't look up from his work.

"I'm curious," Lightning said, "about your family name. When I lived in the Age of Technology, I used to know a man—a sky pirate, actually. Balthier Bunansa. Does that name...mean anything these days?"

"It's been over a thousand years, miss Lightning. Anything from that time has been long forgotten. Although..." He reached down and opened one of the table's drawers, pulling out some sort of journal. It was covered with specks of dust, and the spine was falling off. Apart from that, it remained intact. "Mustadio stumbled upon this during one of his ventures into the lower city. I think you may be interested in what the first page says."

Lightning carefully took the journal from his hands, lifting the cover off and scanning the front page. Her frown shifted into a warm smile at the words written:

_'I intended for this to be my "Last Will and Testament", or so Ice calls it, but it's not my time to part just yet. It's the year 711 in our Valendian calender, and I am now thirty years old. No—_young_. I'm not old just yet. Fran says I'm not allowed to become like my father unlike I am actually the same age as he was._

_A shame that day will never come._

_Upon learning the news of my sooner-than-later demise, Ice refuses to stop his pestering and demands that I write this before my time is up. The man is right, and unfortunately, I don't credit him enough for that. I suppose that's why I'm leaving any Gil I've managed to save in his name, though considering that he's now the Lord of Dalmasca, he won't need it. I don't dare leave him the _Strahl_—he would end up destroying my poor girl, no doubt. Furthermore, Ice, you are not allowed to set one foot near her. You're much too clumsy these days.'_

Lightning couldn't stop herself from chuckling.

_'The_ Strahl_, as much as it pains me to admit this, will be placed in Vaan's care. I know that he will continue his sky pirating life even when he's an old bastard, terrorizing the skies that were once mine and claiming that he is the leading man. I suppose that means I surrender that title to him as well, in this will. Well, of course not. The leading man always has a leading lady, and Vaan will not have mine._

_Upon the time of Vaan's death, the_ Strahl_ will return to Fran. And, after, you wonder? I know that by that time, air ships will no longer be of use. My girl will, sadly, be put to rest during this time._

_As for Draklor Laboratory and the Bunansa estate...I'd prefer to leave them be. However, according to our dearest Queen, either I must declare an heir or leave the property in her name. She has expressed his distaste in this manner, and so I am forced to leave these damned places to whomever arises later on as my heir. The Bunansa name won't end, at least from what I've witnessed. Sadly, we Bunansas will be reduced to what dear old Cid would have called peasants._

_I believe there is nothing left for me to pass on. Ah, yes. Ice has just graciously informed me that I've left one thing out. To my dearest leading lady, I bestow to you the crystal that once belonged to your sister. I once told you that this particular Stone held no value now that she is gone, but I was wrong. And for that I must apologize. This Stone is more than we believed. I can only hope that you will find the means to destroy before it is too late._

_Signed,_

_Ffamran mied Bunansa'_

After reading the words a few times over, her eyes turned toward the rough, scrambled letters below the will:

_'Dammit, Balthier, for _once_—call me by my real name. This is supposed to be official! I don't think "Ice" will suffice in the Court.'_

Lightning pulled the worn journal close to her chest after closing it, taking in a deep breath. Besrudio chuckled, shaking his head. "Your sky pirate must have been quite a character," he commented, grinning jokingly.

She nodded. "He was. Balthier was...definitely unique." She paused, frowning. "But that Stone he mentioned—where is it? Was it with the journal?"

"Mustadio didn't mention anything about a Stone. After reading this, I researched anything I could find of this particular Stone." Besrudio finally faced her. "The Stone Ffamran left to you was taken to Orbonne years ago."

"Orbonne...Then that means—" It hurt to admit her revelation. "The Virgo Stone was Serah's crystal."

**

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**

"Welcome to Old Ivalice," Fang announced as the group entered the large cavern. Around them were skeletons and old remains of humes Lightning probably knew, and around the corner she could see the outline of an air ship. "Not much of a welcoming party, are they? Anyway, feel free to look around. If you find the Stone, then it's mission accomplished."

They parted ways when they reached the lowest part of the ruins. Ashe with Mydia, Fang with Vanille, and Lightning with Cidolfus and Mustadio. As she walked through the run-down road, Lightning couldn't help but wonder if she was standing within the remains of Rabanastre, or even Archades. She managed to uncover what looked to be a winged air ship, and as much as it pained her to admit it, it appeared to be the _Strahl_.

Mustadio knew where everything was, since he'd been there many times before. When they examined the spot where he'd found the Taurus stone, there were no signs of any other auracite around. Cidolfus remarked that the other stones may have been stolen earlier, but Lightning didn't think it was possible.

And then she heard Vanille's excited laughter just down the withered hall.

"Lightning! Fang!" she called. "I found it!"

The two quickest to catch up with her were Fang and Lightning, though Mydia wasn't too far behind. Vanille held a violet colored stone in her hands, though it looked to be two stones stuck together. With a proud smile on her face, she held out the auracite.

"It was stuck in between two air ships, but I managed to squeeze in there and grab it," she explained, as Lightning leaned in to get a better look. "What do we do with it now?"

"We should destroy it," Mydia suggested coldly. "Auracite is a danger to us, as is the Lucavi it contains."

Fang ignored her. "Don't get your sword in a knot, bunny. Worryin' won't get us anywhere."

The moment her finger tips touched the auracite, an explosion of violet light erupted between the two Oerbans. Lightning covered her eyes with her arm as the light increased, and gritting her teeth when dark magick pulsed around them. She saw the outlines of Fang and Vanille warp into a creature fierce enough to make the fal'Cie quake in their rest. Ashe was the first to look up when the color faded, though she resented it the moment she did.

"By the gods," she gasped, drawing her sword. "It cannot be!"

In the place where Fang and Vanille once stood was Zalera, hidden beneath his cape. As his skeletal face appeared from behind the darkness, the shamaness grafted into his wing let out a shrilling giggle that sounded vaguely familiar. Lightning, with wide eyes and trembling legs, fell against the wall and found herself unable to move. The sounds—the cries!

She clutched her head as the shamaness continued to shriek and cry. "S-stop it! I—_please_!" Her words were useless, and as she collapsed into Zalera's will, his voice entered her mind.

"_Here dying, join my legion of undeath. Your blood, the roses on unhallow'd graves!_"

**

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_Uh oh._


	14. Find a Way

**Author's Note:** _Okay, so remember that song I mentioned in the epilogue of Revenant__? _Find a Way_ by Safetysuit? ____Yeah. I just remembered it's what I'm basing the relationship between Lightning and Mustadio on. I listened to it while writing the last part of this chapter. And, yeah, I cried a bit. I'm very emotional right now due to being a hermit for nearly two weeks. But, yeah. I seriously recommend you listen to that song; it really explains where my madness is coming from._  


_Anywhoo, I love my reviewers; __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__ and __**Riku Uzumaki**__. I'm going to miss you guys when this is over..._

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Fourteen

Find a Way

When Lightning fell to the dirt and didn't get right back up like she usually did, Mustadio suddenly felt the urge to start crying. It had been _years_ since he had a nice, long, good cry. Back when he was young, he only cried when he thought about his mother's death, but after that he learned to give up and move on. He wanted to be strong, to prove himself for reasons he didn't understand.

But watching Lightning's life end right before his eyes—that long awaited cry was very appealing all of the sudden.

Ashe grabbed Mustadio by the arm and pulled him away from the fallen squire, whispering a Protect spell over him. Zalera was still laughing, and his shamaness was crying. It was hard to think that just moments before, Fang and Vanille were there. But they had been transformed, twisted into something that clung to Mustadio's fear.

"No, no—_Light_," Mustadio moaned, pushing away from the seeress. "Light, wake _up_!"

"Don't be too certain that you want that, lad," Cidolfus said with a slight sneer, drawing his defender blade. "She'll be under Zalera's control soon enough."

"_What_? No—she's with us! Light wouldn't—"

Mydia stood with Cidolfus against Zalera, her bright eyes glimmering in the darkness. "Unlike myself and Lady Ashe, Claire is a true undead," she explained, just as Zalera's minions rose from the dirt. "Though she may be protected by the goddess Etro, Her reach does not extend to this world. We must defeat Zalera, and perhaps then Claire will be returned to us. Yet as of now, she is lost."

Following Cidolfus' lead, the Judge cut down the skeletons that limped in her path to the Lucavi. Ashe kept a hand on Mustadio's arm, her sword guiding her arm through whatever undead posed the highest threat to her and the machinist. But his eyes were focused on Lightning's limp form, hoping that she would stand up and help.

Zalera's voice was a combination of a man's deep voice and Fang's sarcastic drawl. He was looking upon Mustadio, snickering. "_Before me stands the seed of Bunansa's loins?_" he asked. "_Blood tainted with that of wenches, yet still power rises within. Ah, yes. The Divine's blood._"

Ashe seemed to flinch at these words. "Ragnarok?" she gasped. "That beast is—"

"_Gone? Nay, Daughter of Raithwall. That which dies shall live on. Ne'er gone, the Divine, yet at peace._" Zalera laughed. "_But what is this? The shameful touch is the protection hindering all attempts to possess. The Divine watches over you, young Bunansa._"

"Then why did you—why did you take them away?" Mustadio's voice was cracking as he spoke. "Fang and Vanille...They only wanted to help!"

"_Truth dawns within this child's nativity. The l'Cie's flesh, vessels without flaw!_" As Zalera continued his laughter, his shamaness summoned more undead with her wail. "_Ah, their revenant: t'was only meant for my use. I thank thee, my master. Soon, you will return!_"

"Master." The seeress frowned. "The master of the Lucavi..."

The Lucavi turned his gaze momentarily to Lightning's inert form. "_Who once was hers, now blood of naught but woe. Let not such trifles weigh upon you now. Ere long you shall know darkness deeper still!_"

A hoarde of undead surrounded Ashe and Mustadio, and the seeress slashed her sword through the necks of the skeletons closest to them. Mustadio tried to grab his dual pistols, but the amount of fiends creeping toward them was overwhelming. He managed to aim one of his pistols at the face of an undead, but for a moment he thought he saw a regular hume face staring back at him.

"Lady Ashe," Mustadio said, breathing heavily. "They're people—or they _were_...Are? I don't know anymore!"

"Stay strong, Mustadio," she assured him, smiling when she stabbed another undead and ignoring the green sludge dripping onto her hands. She pulled her blade out and sighed. "Zalera spoke the truth; you don't have to worry about dying anytime soon." She knocked down another skeleton.

Mustadio nodded, firing an array of holy magick-infused bullets at the undead. When he turned around, he nearly fell back when his pistol was aimed in between Lightning's silver eyes.

"Light!" he exclaimed. "You're alive!"

She didn't answer him, and just as she raised her arm to strike him down, Ashe pulled him away. Lightning fell forward, her upper half slouched to the ground, and her gunblade hung limply in her hands. Mustadio tried to say something to her again, but the wails from the shamaness overcame them. Lightning seemed to react violently running forward and sluggishly swinging her gunblade at the pair.

The first few times Ashe was able to block the squire's attacks, but after that she wasn't quick enough. The gunblade penetrated her shoulder blade, though the seeress didn't blink once. Ashe swung her sword against Lightning's neck, but the moment the blade hit her neck, it shattered. The squire wrapped her fingers around Ashe's neck, pinning her to the ground.

A holy-infused bullet carved its way into Lightning's forehead, sending her to the dirt beside Ashe. Mustadio lowered his pistol, lip quivering, and fell to his knees as Ashe sat up, rubbing her neck. The squire lay still, and even the cries of the shamaness didn't wake her.

That was when the tears Mustadio had been holding in finally fell.

**

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**

For a while, Lightning almost wished she actually was dead. Almost. She was sitting alone in the corner of her mind, counting the number of times she heard one of her undead brethren fall. They would return almost simultaneously, of course, but they were weak. She had thought herself strong, once, but she was just like them. Weak, lost...Maybe even a bit empty, too.

As an undead, she was vulnerable to Zalera's control from the start. But after seeing her comrades from many years before become the Lucavi and his shamaness, her mind had been lost. She'd seen so many die, but watching them become a monster was much worse. She should have been thankful, though. By being controlled by Zalera, she wasn't aware of what was going on in the world outside her mind. She wouldn't know if she had killed one of her comrades.

Ashe would just be reborn again, if she were to be killed. Cidolfus had managed to evade death's embrace for many years, but perhaps it was his time to depart Ivalice. Being as stubborn as she was, Mydia wouldn't accept death and would turn her nose up and leave. But Mustadio... Lightning clenched her fingers around her auracite necklace. If he died by her hand, she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

It didn't take long for Mydia and Cidolfus to kill Zalera. She could hear the Lucavi fading away, his undead minions following. "_Hashmal...Bring order here...where I have failed_," he had whispered before dying. Lightning's mind was returned to her soon after, though the headache was something she could have gone without.

She was lying face first in the dirt, spitting out the bits of dust and whatever was in it. Her gunblade, inches away from her hand, was in pieces due to being stepped on by Zalera's minions. She cursed quietly, not too pleased that she had let it break _again_. Ashe was too busy healing her wounds to notice that their fallen companion had risen again, and Mydia was staring at the cloudy remains of the Lucavi. The oldest member of their party was smirking at his victory, as he always did.

Lightning rubbed her forehead, where the bullet had passed through, and healed herself with dark magick. It was then that she saw Mustadio, on his knees and sobbing. She slowly went to him, kneeling in front of him and touching his shoulder.

"Mustadio," she whispered. "It's okay, now."

He was shaking his head, rubbing his wet eyes with a dirtied, gloved hand. His arm wrapped themselves around her, and he continued to cry into her neck, burying his face into her blouse. Lightning closed her eyes, and gently placed her arms over him and held him close. It was almost like she was with _him_ again.

Almost.

**

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_**Circa Old Valendian 708**_

_A few months after the incident in the Glabados Ruins, Snow figured out that Balthier wasn't in Ivalice anymore. He left his duties as Ashe's guardian_—_and soon-to-be husband_—_the moment Vaan accidentally let it slip that Balthier had gotten himself lost in another world, and demanded that he, myself and Fran go after him. He had that fiery blaze in his eyes when he arrived at the aerodrome, the same look he used to get whenever he was talking about Serah. Putting my suspicions aside, I allowed him to yell._

_"How could you just lose him?" Snow exclaimed, and Fran's ears twitched at the raise of his voice. "Now he's probably gotten himself killed, and there isn't a thing we can do about it!"_

_"I'm sure Balthier knew exactly what he was doing," I answered sternly. "He wanted to find the auracite, for some reason, so it's not like he 'accidentally' got himself blown up. He'll turn up one of these days, probably."_

_Snow didn't agree. "We're going back there, Lightning." I flinched; he never used my full name unless he was angry. "If anything's happened to him, I'll...I won't forgive you."_

_It had always been obvious that Snow was more than just a _little_ overprotective of Balthier. They'd known each other longer than I had known either of them, and they'd been through so much together. And it was all because of Ragnarok, too. Ragnarok brought them together in the first place: the Destroyer, and the beast itself. Everything that had happened to us? Yeah, Ragnarok's fault, too._

_Yeah. Maybe I was jealous._

_It never occurred to me how much Snow cared about Balthier. The fact that he stayed behind in Ivalice years before, instead of going back to Pulse to be with Serah, should have made it obvious. When Ashe explained that to me_—_that the only way Snow could have gone back to Serah was to kill Ragnarok and Balthier, I couldn't believe it. At first I only wanted to believe that Snow didn't do it because he couldn't kill another human, but then I remembered how much he used to protect Balthier back on Cocoon._

_I still didn't want to think that maybe, just maybe, there was something unspoken between the two of them. But seeing how determined Snow was to find Balthier, I was jealous._

_We reached the Glabados Ruins faster than I expected. Snow was quick to head off to the hidden room, though I was surprised he even remembered where it was. Fran and I followed, expecting that there would be nothing there, but the moment Snow stepped close to the altar, there was a bright burst of green light and Balthier stumbled right into Snow's arms._

_"What the_—_" Snow's breath hitched. "Balthier, how did you_—_?" Balthier only shook his head, as if his mouth couldn't form words. Snow wrapped his arms around the sky pirate, holding him close. "At least you're back, for good."_

_I walked forward when Snow finally let go of Balthier, arms tightly folded across my chest to stop myself from slapping him across the face. He looked at me with wide eyes, like he was afraid of me, but after a moment he relaxed and sighed._

_"You're still you," he murmured, rubbing his head. "The same old Light..."_

_"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked, tilting my head. "Balthier, where have you been?"_

_He smirked, ignoring how Snow's hand refused to leave his shoulder. "You'll find out, all in good time."_

**

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Cidolfus was examining the Gemini auracite when they returned to the Bunansa household that night. "Curious," he said with a glint in his eyes. "Very curious indeed."

Mustadio was still sniffling, gladly taking the mug of hot water from his father. He sat close to Lightning, and she kept one hand on his arm, making sure that he wouldn't get too panicked. The whole ordeal with Zalera and what happened to Fang and Vanille was too much for him, as if he hadn't been through so much already. She wasn't too sure, but she wondered if being forced to shoot her, in order to stop her from killing Ashe, was what sent him off the edge.

As soon as he sat down beside his son, placing his hand tenderly on Mustadio's trembling shoulder, Bersudio turned toward Cidolfus. "Well?" he asked. "Is that creature still bound to that Stone?"

"No, Zalera's dead for certain," the knight answered, still focused on the auracite.

"Then, what?" Lightning said with a scowl. "It's inactive, if anything. No use to anyone."

"How wrong you are, my phoenix. Zalera spoke of a master, and if I remember correctly, you mentioned that Cúchulainn had said something of a master, as well."

"Yeah, something like that. Ultima's the one in charge of the Lucavi, isn't she?" The squire felt Mustadio's hand entwine with hers, but she chose not to react. "And the Virgo Stone...It once belonged to my sister. Balthier left it to me in his will, but it was taken to Orbonne instead."

Cidolfus set the Gemini stone with the other two; Aquarius and Libra. "Your sister. She was killed when she was young, yes?"

Lightning nodded. "By the trickster god: Lindzei."

"And...This was when your pirate was still the vessel to Ragnarok?"

"Yeah. What are you getting at, Cid? The fact that Serah died at the hands of the god that happened to be after Balthier has nothing to do with now—"

"On the contrary," Mydia interrupted, removing her helmet. "Your sister, after her death, became a Yarhi; the equivalent of an esper, Eidolon, and Lucavi. We saw her depart for the world beyond with Velis and Ragnarok, but are we so certain that was where she remained?"

"She seemed to be all right with moving on."

The Feol viera's lips quirked. "_Seemed_ is your key word, Claire. Perhaps your sister pretended to feel that way as she allowed another woman," her eyes flickered in Ashe's direction, "to take the heart of the man she loved. You should know how it feels to lose a loved one to another, Claire."

Lightning cast her eyes downward. She must have been talking about what more than likely happened with Balthier. True, he was taken away by Etro, but it still...hurt. Or perhaps Mydia was trying to imply that Balthier hadn't been faithful, therefore continuing the Bunansa name.

"It puzzles me that someone so kind and gentle could become twisted by jealousy." Mydia frowned. "Humes are so weak, at times. But your sister is not hume—not anymore."

"Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions, dear Mydia," Cidolfus warned, chuckling. "No one knows of Ultima's creation, and we won't know until we finish collecting these Stones. Perhaps we may ask the Seraph herself if she is as you suspect."

No one said a word, and Lightning turned her eyes toward Mustadio. He still held her hand, though he didn't look as if he wanted to be there. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, and his cheeks were flushed. Lightning gently tightened her grip on his hand, rubbing her thumb against his skin.

"Um, Besrudio," Ashe started, breaking the silence. She sat up from the seat, fiddling with the loose string on her dress. "Is your...visitor still here?"

"Visitor? Ah, you mean that strange man." Besrudio shook his head. "He left soon after you lot did, unfortunately. Said he had to go chase down another lead, or some sort. What an odd chap he was..."

The seeress leaned back in her chair, disappointed. "I...I see."

**

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Lightning found Mustadio in his own room, sitting on the bench by the window. She held the old journal in her hands when she sat down across from him, sighing when he didn't look in her direction right away. A small laugh escaped her lips when she felt that _deja vu_ again; sitting by a window and trying to comfort someone after a friend's death wasn't something she expected to do twice in her life.

"Mustadio." She held out the journal to him, smiling weakly. "There's a...message in here that I can't understand. I don't think it's meant for me. Do you...want to take a look at it?"

He stared at her for a moment before opening the journal to the very last page. His eyes scanned over the neat printing a few times before he looked back to her. "This...This is from him, isn't it?" he asked. "From Balthier. But, why would he—"

"He must have known that I'd meet another Bunansa some day, that you would find me." When she took the journal from him, she ripped out the last page and folded it up, placing it in his hands. "You keep it. Just a reminder that you're not alone. That..._we're_ not alone anymore."

"No," Mustadio answered, returning her smile. "I suppose we aren't."

**

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_Aww._


	15. Must Be Dreaming

**Author's Note:** _Happy New Year! Woot! Um...Yeah. Do I have a New Year's resolution? I do, actually. I want to write a whole bunch more fanfiction. ;) I know, I know. I can't think of much else. Nonetheless, in this chapter, Ramza and Agrias come back! Yaaaay! I missed them. And yes, my newest profile picture is of Snow and Balthier. I got bored and decided to take a picture of my action figures the other night, and it's not meant to look so..._more-than-bromantic_. I think. Balthier is so much shorter than Snow...It's kinda funny. (And he's still only got one arm...I need glue!)  
_

_This'll be the last update until next weekend, __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__ and __**Riku Uzumaki**__. Time for school again. Not yay. Meh.  
_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Fifteen

Must Be Dreaming

When morning came, Lightning stood outside Mustadio's door with her once again broken gunblade in hand. He rubbed his tired eyes and waved her in, and instantly began setting up his work station. She placed her gunblade on the table, standing close to him and looking over his shoulder.

"So, do you think you can fix it again?"

He picked up one of the pieces and sighed. "You should be more careful with your pistol-sword, Light. But, yes, I suppose I might be able to repair it for you."

A smile snuck up on her, and she gently kissed the machinist on the cheek. "Thank you, Mustadio."

All she received in reply was a quiet grumble, a bright flush forming on his face. Lightning retreated downstairs, where the others were already discussing their next move. Ashe was the only one not truly paying attention, though that may have only been because she already knew where they would be going next. As soon as she saw Lightning enter the small room, she sat up and turned toward the other two.

"Perhaps it would be best to return to Dorter," she announced. "Your other two companions may be there, just as we suspected earlier."

"That does sound reasonable," Lightning agreed, leaning over the map Cidolfus and Mydia were looking over. "I mean, we should regroup and see what they've been up to. Maybe they've found more Stones, too, and some information on what we're really going up against. And I still owe Ramza for what happened to Alma."

Mydia rested her cheek against her palm. "Then we go to them. Surely finding the auracite will bring you a step closer to what is truly behind this madness. The War of the Lions, the Princess' kidnapping...And the auracite." She looked toward Ashe as her voice trailed off, silently asking if she knew anything.

The seeress fixed the skirt of her dress. "I am no psychic, Mydia. I could not have predicted that this war would have happened, nor do I know of the truth behind the auracite."

"But you knew that Claire would come for you, eventually."

"That does not mean I know everything that is to come."

"Oh? And what of Ba—"

Ashe was quick to halt the Feol viera's words. "I did not _know_," she hissed in a raspy tone. "The gods only give me visions of what they intend, not what we humes have created. I am only able to see beings like the gods themselves, touched by their power. This war, yes; it has the gods' blood tinted claws upon it, but I know nothing else."

As if he were amused by all this, Cidolfus chuckled and clapped a hand on the tense shoulder belonging to the seeress. "Hush, now. If we leave while the morn is still upon us, we may reach Dorter sooner and find our dear knights."

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Mydia, having not said a word since departing Goug, turned her nose up when Lightning asked if she could tame some wild chocobos for them. By foot it would take nearly a few days to reach the city of Dorter, but with chocobos it would take half the time. The Feol viera muttered a few harsh words under her breath and she disappeared within the trees, returning not long after with two brown chocobos.

Lightning held out her hand to Mustadio, who was clutching the cloth-wrapped gunblade in his arms, after she mounted one of the birds. Ashe seated herself behind him, ignoring the look given from Mydia as she and Cidolfus moved past them on their chocobo.

It was nightfall when they stopped for a rest, and Lightning found herself entranced while watching the machinist continue his repairs on her gunblade. The way his hands moved was familiar, almost _too_ familiar, and her thoughts were haunted by memories that threatened to return. She pulled away, turning toward the edge of the tent and falling into a Sleep-induced coma. She didn't dream, as usual, but her mind was clotted with the voices she thought to have heard whispered the night before they fought Zalera.

_"What have you gotten yourself into this time? You look worse than the time Snow found you stumbling away from Nalbina after that beast killed all those people!"_

_"Always so observant, aren't you...Should have known you'd find me sooner or later, Princess. Ah, apologies—my dearest Queen."_

_"I have not been called that for years."_

_"Old habits die hard, they say. Though, considering the last I saw of you was in the arms of your soon-to-be King, my habits are not as old as they are in this world. I still have yet to get accustomed to these new times. How have you managed, all these years?"_

_"The past guides me more than the future. It does the same for you, yes?"_

_"Considerably, I suppose. I am the past, after all."_

_"Yes, and I only hope you haven't thought of changing it."_

_"The thought never crossed my mind."_

_"Then I thank you. Now then, let me see those wounds of yours. Your recklessness may be the end of you, Bal_—_"_

Any further words, and those said before, had appeared to be nothing more than a dream to Lightning. But the voices, though false, meant something to her. As long as she could hold onto them, then perhaps things would be all right.

Morning marked the continuation of their journey, and Lightning was more than happy to allow the day to come. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, as if something had changed within her body. It almost felt like her heart, long lost, had finally returned, and watching Mustadio throughout the day helped this feeling stay.

They reached the outskirts of Dorter that afternoon, and just through the thickets of the trees, a small camp was visible. They dismounted their chocobos, and Mydia led the way to the source of smoke. A bright grin appeared on Mustadio's face when Ramza looked up at the group, waving once and calling for Agrias. Her hair was still tied into a loose braid, though it had grown in the past few weeks, and her brown eyes seemed to shine more. She waved, too, when she saw the others.

"Ah, you've returned!" Agrias greeted, surprisingly embracing the young machinist. She almost did the same to Lightning, but the squire only held out her hand, smiling gently. Agrias studied her, a smile creeping to her lips. "Lady Claire, you've changed. You're much...happier now."

"I realized a few things these past few weeks," Lightning replied, shrugging. She looked toward their other three party members. "You know Count Cidolfus Orlandeau, of course. Our newest comrades are the Judge Mydia, and the Lady Ashe, seeress and former Queen of Dalmasca."

As if the fact that Ashe was connected to the Lucavi didn't bother her, Agrias bowed her head. "It is an honor to meet you."

"I thank you, Lady Agrias, for watching over Ovelia all these years." Ashe was smiling. "It is good to know that there are still people worthy of the Old Order in these dark times."

After settling into the camp, Ramza motioned for everyone to sit around the fire. Mustadio had retreated into one of the tents to continue his work on the gunblade, and for a moment Lightning thought of joining him. But, she was eager to hear what Ramza and Agrias had discovered while their group had parted ways. She did sit close to Mustadio's tent, and she caught a silent smirk from Ashe as soon as she sat down.

"We found, or rather acquired, three Zodiac Stones," Cidolfus explained, setting the Libra stone on the rocks between he and Lightning. "Libra, Aquarius, and Gemini. Mustadio holds the Aquarius Stone, as it is his birthright or some sort. Libra has been in the Orlandeau family for years. And the Gemini Stone...was acquired through battle."

"A Lucavi," Ramza murmured.

"Zalera possessed my friends from Gran Pulse, my home years ago. Fang and Vanille had been brought back to life only for Zalera's needs," Lightning admitted, frowning. "There wasn't anything we could do to save them."

"What of the Aquarius and Libra Stones?"

"They contain the Lucavi Famfrit and Exodus. Unlike Zalera, they're on our side. Famfrit has been dedicated to the Bunansa family since my time, so he's pledged himself to Mustadio. The same goes for Exodus and Cidolfus."

Agrias pursed her lips, and pulled out a dark gray stone from her pocket, holding it out. "This is the Aries Stone. We fought and defeated the Lucavi Belias. We also found the Cancer Stone just the other day," she added, and Ramza held out a sharp magenta auracite stone. "As for the Stones we lost, we have yet to discover where they were taken. Alma's whereabouts remain unknown."

"Not so," Ramza said as he pulled out two folded pieces of paper. "There have been rumors regarding the auracite, and I think following them may lead us closer to Alma." He handed the papers to Lightning, who looked them over a few times before smirking.

Rash of Thefts_  
Clergymen from all over Ivalice have been reporting thefts as of late. All of these items stolen have been jewels in the case of religious institutions, leading the Church of Glabados to conclude that the crimes are the work of heretics or other enemies of the Church. Anticipating further incidents, it has warned its members to exercise particular vigilance._

A Call for Guards_  
The city of Bervenia has donated a treasure known as the Wailing Orte to the city of Dorter, and a merchant has been commissioned to make the delivery. However, recent rumors of bandits on the trade routes have him too frightened to make the journey. He seeks guards with strong sword arms to protect him along his way._

"It sounds troublesome," Ashe stated after she looked over the papers. "But, you're right. These rumors may be the key to our next move. Lightning," she looked to the squire, a glint in her eyes, "you should go with Ramza and investigate these rumors. You never know, you may find what you've been looking for all these years."

Lightning's eyebrows arched, and she folded her arms tightly across her chest. "If your Majesty wills it, then I guess I can't argue with you. I'll have to borrow your sword, if I'm to go out and about. Mustadio's fixing my gunblade as we speak."

**

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The ragnarok blade hung from Ramza's belt as he and Lightning entered the city of Dorter, but she didn't see Snow anywhere around them. Lightning sighed, almost disappointed, and looked down at the diamond blade tucked into one of the pouches on her belt. She missed the ragnarok blade, of course, but it wasn't hers to carry anymore. As long as she was able to let go of that, nothing mattered.

She looked around the seemingly deserted city, squinting and sniffing the slightly foul air. "These rumors you're following," she said to Ramza, "it all seems too suspicious."

The dark knight kept his eyes forward, slowing his pace. "A godless thief with designs upon the Church vaults," he murmured quietly. "Could it be he seeks the Stones? The road to the auracite is barred by Templar swords...But it is the same road that leads to Alma."

"Your sister."

He nodded. "I will walk whatever road I must to see her free."

Lightning wrapped her arms around her torso, rubbing her cold skin as if to warm herself up. The delivery of the jewels was obviously a trap for the godless thief, but Ramza wasn't aware of that. Before they had left Goug, Lightning checked over the bounties again, only to be surprised that the thief's bounty was higher than hers. That only increased the danger of the situation—whoever they were going after was seeking auracite.

They passed a pillar, where she caught the scent of sweat and grime. Lightning spun around in time to see Ramza blocking a headhunter's sword, and a monk lunched for her from the shadows. Another moved to strike her down, but she easily dodged his sword and unsheathed the diamond sword.

"He took the bait!" one of the headhunters exclaimed, breathless. "I told you he would!"

The one who crossed blades with Ramza scowled. "We've got the wrong man! This one's not the thief!" He glanced toward Lightning, who was backed up against a wall. "And this woman—they're both heretics!"

The dark skinned headhunter sneered, raising his blade and prepared to cut out her throat. Yet just as he moved, a gun shot went off, and the headhunter collapsed, clutching his now bleeding arm. Ramza looked to where the sound came from, and the other headhunters stood with their mouths gaping.

"Your mistakes were twofold, I'm afraid."

Lightning's head shot up as she gasped; it couldn't be! She stared toward the end of the alleyway, to the gun that still smoked from the shot. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. It just wasn't possible!

But _he_ was there—_Balthier_!

"You sprung your trap without looking to see if the game you hunted was the one you'd snare. And you sold me short. I'm no thief," Balthier spat, resting the fomalhaut on his shoulder. "I'm a sky pirate."

The headhunter that had pinned Lightning to the wall stared, startled and stunned. "It's him!"

The sky pirate smirked, and Lightning's breath caught in her chest. "Now that we've dispensed with the pleasantries, tell me where I might find the Cache of Glabados."

"Cache of Glabados?" Ramza questioned, narrowing his eyes.

"Three heretics instead of one," the headhunter with the wounded shoulder snarled as he got up. "Rum luck, I say! We'll claim the bounty for them all!"

"Oh, you'll have your reward for finding me." Balthier began walking toward them, chuckling quietly. "And don't think about running off without collecting. My shot is faster." He held the fomalhaut toward them, tilting his head. "Or my name's not Balthier."

Lightning slammed her knee into the groin of the headhunter who had his hands on her, and he fell to the brick with a low grunt. She cautiously made her way to Ramza and stood at his side, her eyes never leaving Balthier's poised form. He turned toward the pair, sighing as more headhunters appeared from the shadows.

"They've numbers, if nothing else," he stated. "Perhaps a brief alliance is in order? One hand washes the other and all that."

Ramza nodded in agreement. "I'll certainly not object!"

As she fought against headhunter after headhunter, Lightning's thoughts were running rampant in her head. How could she had been so daft? The thief at Orbonne that sought the Virgo auracite, the injured man at the Bunansa household, and the one who'd visited the grave moments before she and Mustadio, and warned them of Zalmour and his lackeys—it had been Balthier the whole time. He was the godless thief, branded a heretic for biting off more than he could chew.

But, _how_?

She cut through a headhunter's throat, kicking him to the road as if he was nothing but an animal. Her eyes instinctively looked to Balthier, where he was handling himself well. He hadn't looked her in the eyes at all, making her wonder if this was just another one of her dreams. But she'd heard his voice countless times over the past few months, and he had been the one to rescue her at Orbonne from her delusions and nightmares. All that time he was watching over her, and she hadn't understood the truth.

The last of the headhunters fled the scene, and Ramza wiped the sweat from his brow, turning toward his allies just as the diamond sword slipped from Lightning's grasp. She broke into a run; straight into Balthier's arms. A weak cry escaped her lips when she felt his warm arms protectively wrap around her, and she refused to let him go. This was no dream, not at all. This had to have been real!

"Balthier," she whispered into his neck, the familiar scent of gunpowder and oil filling her senses. Her voice cracked as she asked, "Are you real?"

Balthier chuckled, nodding his head against her hair. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She didn't answer, but kept her arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace, fearing that if she let him go, he would disappear again forever. Ramza was staring at them, no doubt confused about what was going on. But Lightning didn't care. No, nothing else mattered. Balthier was there, holding her, and that was all she needed to know that she wasn't dreaming.

"Ah, such a warm welcome," Balthier stated as he moved his arms away from her. She kept a hand on his arm, staring at his tawny face. "I see my reputation precedes me."

"You are branded a heretic as well?" Ramza asked, sheathing the ragnarok blade.

"Religion and I don't mix, I'm afraid." He sighed, hanging his head. "Another false lead."

"Why do you seek this...Cache of Glabados?"

The sky pirate shrugged, examining the fomalhaut for any damage. "Woman, treasure—does a man need reason to pursue beauty?"

Ramza shook his head. "The Church's treasure—it is not the prize you think it."

"Then you know it?"

"No, it's only—you're better off not searching. The road is fraught with dangers you cannot know."

A confident smirk teased Balthier's lips. "Who do you think you're talking to? The leading man never balks at a little danger." He paused, frowning for a moment and glancing in Lightning's direction. "Though, this does have more the feeling of a cameo role..."

She thought of apologizing, but she couldn't find the means to speak.

"Nonetheless, I have my reasons for seeking that particular treasure." Balthier clipped the fomalhaut onto his belt, and then stretched out his arms. "I found it once again—laid my hands on it, and look where it's gotten me. If I find it again, I can put things back as they were. And since you seem to know something of it, and you've somehow convinced Light to aid you, it would seem you've gained yourself another traveling companion."

Ramza's reaction spoke for both he and Lightning. "Oh?"

"Not to worry, I've some experience in the chaperoning of children that call themselves heroes."

Lightning rolled her eyes, just as Ramza turned around. "I'm no child!" he huffed, crossing his arms and scowling.

"Yes, they all say that, don't they?" Balthier had looked at Lightning again, and she nodded, her smile not leaving her face.

"And _you_ say you are a sky pirate? Would you have me to believe that you can fly?" Ramza glanced back, looking the sky pirate up and down suspiciously. "I see no wings."

As the dark knight departed, Lightning touched Balthier's shoulder. He sighed again, "I seem to always find myself a pirate without a sky. At this rate, I'm like to forget how to fly altogether."

Lightning ignored him, and took hold of his warm hand, leading him out of the city.

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_*squeals*_


	16. Past and Future

**Author's Note:** _Glad to see everyone was happy that Balthier's finally in the story. He'll be sticking around for a few chapters, probably until the end. But, who knows. ;) I'm just happy to have him back. Sorry if this chapter is slightly iffy; I'm pretty much dead after writing the latest parts to_ Starstruck Bromance_ and_ Martyr's Requiem_, as well as an essay for school. But, I think this is okay. Not much action; just talking. Maybe it's just me...I need another mocha._

_Thank you to __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__ and __**Riku Uzumaki**__!_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Sixteen

Past and Future

For whatever reason, Lightning was nervous about how her comrades would react at Balthier's arrival. Everything she had told them had to do with how he was already dead, that he'd sacrificed his own life to save hers years and years ago. Even though they accepted her for what she was, that didn't mean they would be so accepting of Balthier. She kept a tight hold on his hand, fearing that he'd disappear at any given moment. Something had willed that they be brought back together, and that thing could just as easily separate them. Sighing quietly, Lightning closed her eyes for a moment before looking toward the sky pirate. He was glancing around in all directions, keeping his guard up.

"Balthier—"

"Don't worry, I'll explain everything to you later tonight," he assured her, that smirk she'd been longing for appearing once again. "I don't plan on leaving you in the dark for much longer, Light."

"So you _are_ hiding something from me..." Lightning frowned, loosening her hold of his hand. "You've been here the entire time, and you didn't try to find me?"

Balthier stifled a laugh. "On the contrary; you weren't hard to find."

"But you are going to tell me, aren't you?"

"If Ice were here, he would make sure that I keep that promise."

Upon arriving at the camp, Agrias was the first to express interest and curiosity in their latest companion. She looked up from where she sat with Ashe and Mydia, bright eyes shining when Ramza greeted her. However, when she looked upon the man standing with Lightning, both of her eyebrows arched and she turned toward the dark knight.

"What's this, Ramza?" she asked, a smile playing at her lips. "Must you find the oddest of travelers while you're away?"

Ramza's cheeks flushed out of guilt. "This cur claimed that he knows Claire. I had no choice."

"Cur?" Balthier scoffed, crossing his arms. "I _do_ have a name, you know."

Lightning returned the diamond blade to Ashe and faced the rest of the group, though mainly Agrias. "Agrias, this is Balthier," she explained in an almost quiet voice. "The sky pirate from Old Ivalice, remember? If it isn't a problem, he's volunteered to aid us in finding the rest of the auracite."

The holy knight laughed weakly, moving a strand of hair behind her ear. Was she..._blushing_? "I have no quarrel with having him here. As long as he keeps to his side of the tent, that is."

"My lady, I can assure you, your tent is one I would dare not enter," Balthier said, understanding something Lightning could not, "lest I want to find myself skewed upon the sword of another."

Ashe laughed loudly, the first time Lightning had heard her ever do so, while Mydia stubbornly rolled her eyes. If it were possible, Ramza's cheeks flushed even more as he awkwardly looked to the side, where Cidolfus was casually resting against a tree, smirking from the entertainment.

Agrias smiled teasingly. "Do you speak of Claire's sword or that of Ramza?"

Confused, Balthier turned toward the squire. "Claire?"

"My name," Lightning said in a bored tone.

"I thought you hated it."

"I go by Claire Bunansa, nowadays."

His smirk widened, and he tilted his head slightly to the left. She just knew that he was amused by that, considering the circumstances. "You don't say."

The whipping sound of a tent door opening stole his attention, and Mustadio came bounding toward them with a gleeful grin on his young face. He held a wrapped sword in his hands, and as soon as he stopped running, out of breath, he eagerly handed the sword to Lightning.

"Light—you won't believe it!" he panted. "Your pistol-sword! I've fixed it sooner than expected!"

While she unwrapped her gunblade, Lightning scolded herself for forgetting all about Mustadio. She turned her eyes toward Balthier, who was looking at the machinist with an appalled expression. The rest of the group, of course, noticed the similarities between the two almost as quickly as he had. Silence had claimed their camp.

"This is rather...surprising," Ramza said with a sly grin.

Lightning studied her repairing gunblade for a moment, then smiled warmly. "Thank you, Mustadio. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I've not seen such craftsmanship for years," Balthier commented, looking over her shoulder. "What's your name, boy?"

The machinist seemed surprised, but flattered nonetheless. "Mustadio Bunansa, ser. I'm a machinist."

Everyone, even Mydia, could see Balthier's sudden discomfort. Lightning closed her eyes, not knowing exactly what to say or do, and slid her gunblade into its holster on her belt. She sighed quietly, facing Mustadio and placing a tender hand on Balthier's tense shoulder.

"Mustadio, meet your only living earliest ancestor. Balthier, my..." She paused; what exactly was he to her? "He's my...leading man."

If he felt any negative feelings toward her confession, Mustadio masked them well. He grinned, enthusiastically shaking Balthier's hand. "It's a pleasure! That means you're from the Age of Technology, right? Sky pirates, air ships, and all that?"

Balthier nodded, not understanding the situation completely. "I am, yes."

"Then," Ramza couldn't stop himself from speaking, "that makes you his great, great, great, great—"

"If you call me his 'grandfather', I won't hesitate you shoot you, boy," Balthier snapped, glaring daggers at the dark night.

Mustadio quickly stepped between them. "What about 'uncle'?"

There was a long pause between the entire group. Balthier shook his head, sighing deeply.

"Very well," he answered, and Lightning released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

**

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They retired for the night, and Lightning felt slightly annoyed that Mydia suggested that she share a tent with Balthier for _certain_ reasons. The Feol viera flipped her hair behind her shoulder when Lightning glared at her, silently hoping Mustadio hadn't heard that comment. However, the machinist seemed to be perfectly fine with Balthier being there. In fact he seemed almost too happy that his ancestor had joined their group.

Lightning slid into the small tent, letting out a small gasp when Balthier suddenly pulled her into his arms. She'd forgotten how...affectionate he used to be with her. Despite the initial shock, she quietly wrapped her arms around him, sighing and resting her head on his shoulder. She still wasn't sure if this was real.

"You've chosen an odd sort to follow around," Balthier murmured, pulling away from her and settling onto the bed-mat. "I've been wondering why you even wanted to join them in the first place."

"It all started with a promise," Lightning answered, pulling her shoulder armor off and tossing it aside. "It just...brought me into something I didn't think I'd get involved in. I'm starting to think that joining them wasn't just a coincidental thing."

"Oh?"

She sat with her legs folded under her. "The ones I travel with now, they're all somehow related to people I knew in the past. Ashe is, well, herself, and so is Mydia. Agrias might be distantly related to Vaan and Penelo, and Cidolfus is more than likely from a branch of the Ronsenburgs. Mustadio's obviously related to your family, and Ramza—"

Without her noticing, someone was sitting right behind Balthier. Lightning hid how startled she was at seeing Snow suddenly appear in their tent, though when Fran gracefully sat beside her once-partner, the squire couldn't stop herself from gasping. Balthier sat up a bit, looking at her with a concerned expression.

"Something the matter?" he asked, frowning.

"No, it's just that," Lightning shook her head. "It's nothing. I'm fine. I was just going to say that Ramza's...related to Snow and Ashe."

Fran rested her chin against her palm, leaning close to Balthier. "T'is not wise to lie to him, Lightning," she purred quietly. "Isn't that what tore the both of you apart years ago?"

Ignoring the viera, Lightning glanced toward the ground. "I keep trying to run from the past, but every time I think I'm finally free of it, it comes back to haunt me. It just—won't leave me alone."

"Hey, sis, why can't Balthier see me?" Snow was waving a hand in front of the sky pirate's face, trying to get his attention.

She glared at him, and Balthier turned around to see what it was she was staring at. When he saw nothing, he folded his arms and gave her a stern look. "And now, the past has literally come back to haunt you, hasn't it? With my being here, that is. I am the past, after all."

"For the most part, I guess." Lightning shrugged. She tried not to laugh when Snow started making obscene faces at the sky pirate. "That Stone in the Glabados Ruins is what brought you to this time, isn't it?"

"I'm surprised you even remember that day after so long. You may find it hard to understand, but that Stone I found in the ruins was none other than your old l'Cie crystal. It brought me to this time, to a church of some sort: which is where I saw you for the first time."

"The cardinal's church."

"Yes, your old crystal was still connected to you, and so it brought me to wherever you were at the time. But instead of speaking with you I chose to follow you until the time was right. I lost track of you after I heard of the Virgo Stone's whereabouts, however." Balthier laughed weakly. "Luckily you were after the same auracite as I."

Lightning pursed her lips. "And that was when you visited your grave...and warned Mustadio and I about Zalmour."

"The fool? You'll be glad to know that he's been killed, by a boy with the name of Delita." He turned his head to the side, not noticing that Snow was touching his shoulder. "After I warned you about the knights, I went to Orbonne in hopes to find the Virgo Stone before anyone else could. Unfortunately, I was too late...I managed to get myself captured by Wiegraf Folles, and he seemed to believe that I knew where the Stone was. He...tortured me until I lost consciousness, using my own gun against me..."

He paused, as if the whole event was painful to remember.

"I woke up to your voice. You were trapped in that closet, lost in some trance I didn't think I could pull you out of." His voice trailed off for a moment, then he met her eyes again. "I had no idea that the deaths of our comrades had done so much to you, enough to almost...destroy you."

"But you're back," she said, reaching for his hand. "Just like Ashe and Mydia."

She looked to Fran, hoping that she would say something. But, just like she always did before, she turned her head away and listened to the voices outside the tent. Snow, on the other hand, tightened his hold on Balthier's shoulder. For a moment, Lightning thought the blond was going to go off on one of his _'save Balthier' _speeches, but all he did was hang his head low and close his eyes.

"You know you can't change the past, sis," Snow whispered, hopelessly resting his head on Balthier's back. "He'll have to go back home, eventually. You remember that day, don't you?"

Of course Lightning did, but she didn't want to admit it.

"The future," Fran whispered, "is all you have left."

The two ghosts faded away when Balthier held Lightning's hand, giving her a reassuring smirk. Her lips instinctively formed a half-smile.

"Only time will tell," was all he said before pulling her into his arms once more.

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_I am so tired right now...I might correct this later in the week, but now I need to work on my reading-stuffs._**  
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	17. Capricorn

**Author's Note:** _ZOMG I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! They're making a Final Fantasy XIII-2! *squeals* The trailer was epic. My girl-crush on Lightning has been revived. What makes me laugh is that the armor she's wearing in it totally looks like something from Ivalice. But, gods. I am so happy they're making a sequel, and its coming out at the end of this year. Spin off story, here I come. The new trailer for Dissidia 012 was epic, too, especially since Tidus is on Chaos' side. I don't know why, but he's suddenly one of my new favorite FF characters because of that. :D_

_I must thank my supporters, because I'm in a much better mood. __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__ and __**Riku Uzumaki**__: you guys are the best. This series would be nothing without you. I must also thank __**frankannestein**__, who has daringly chosen to read and review every chapter, starting at the very beginning with _So Starstruck_. I admire such patience._

_And, yes, I didn't update last weekend even though I had three days off. But, I'm back and ready to finish this story!_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Seventeen

Capricorn

The thing that Lightning missed the most about Balthier, as twisted as it sounded, was watching him sleep. Occasionally he would mumble incoherent words to no one, and often he would simply flat out curse angrily at the shadows around him. It was an amusing yet entrancing thing to watch him during the night again.

He was snoring quietly, curled up against Lightning's side with a possessive arm wrapped around her shoulders. She wondered what would happen if Cidolfus was to stumble upon them in the tent; no doubt he would be slightly furious that she, his dearest phoenix, had fallen for a mortal. She was just like the gods, but it was one who couldn't live forever that she chose to, quite literally, give her heart.

She held his journal, flipping through the pages and skimming over his words. She'd already read it more than once, but even when he was right at her side, it was comforting to see his thoughts on what had been done years before his death. Most entries were about his apparent hatred for getting older (she didn't blame him), as well as mentions of Snow's foolish antics. Those entries, of course, stopped after the self acclaimed hero's death. But it was the last entry in the journal that confused her.

_'It is now the year 731 Old Valendian. My last year amongst the living. Then again, I will be getting a chance to see the future...or rather, I did see it. Bah, all this time and universal travel makes my head ache. I almost look forward to death. Almost. There's still much to be done._

_I cannot help but wonder what the afterlife will be like. Granted, I've been there more than once, so has Light, but I don't dare ask if she remembers. These days she's quite taken with learning the ways of we sky pirates; I'm often reminded of the young thief Vaan when she looks at me with those bright eyes. Even though I'm nearing my death, it warms my heart to know that she's still some-what alive. And she will remain so until, well...I do not know how long she will live for, or Etro will take pity on her. I can only hope._

_Do I regret making that deal with Etro? Yes, of course I do. I didn't do it intentionally, mind you. Had I the chance to reject that offer...I think my answer is obvious._

_A shame that I will never get that chance. But perhaps another Bunansa may find it. Yes_—_I'm certain of it.'_

She looked to the bottom of the page and stifled a laugh. Fran must have found his journal.

_'Let us hope, then, that Snow will be good to you in the afterlife. Surely he misses you.'_

Balthier had curtly written a simple reply: _'Fran, please.'_

Lightning closed the journal and set it aside, turning her eyes toward Balthier's slumbering form. He was wrapped up in a fray of blankets; the only way he could stay warm while huddled up to her chilly body. She was so used to having Mustadio use her as a pillow. He, for whatever reason, didn't seem to need any blankets or warmer clothing. The machinist was completely content with just being close to her.

Pausing for a moment, she looked to the dim light of the fire shining through the cracks of the tent. Lightning slid out from Balthier's arms and crawled outside, dusting off her white nightdress as she faced the one sitting by the fire pit.

It was Agrias.

"You can't sleep?" Lightning asked, joining the holy knight on the log.

"I'm on watch. Everyone else is still resting, and it was to be Ramza's shift, but..." Agrias shifted her gaze to the side. "He needs his rest for the journey tomorrow morn."

The squire frowned. "Journey? Are we leaving so soon?"

"Ramza has been worrying about his brothers as of late, and with recent events he's decided to go on with his original plan to confront Dycedarg and Zalbaag. Your sky pirate was gracious enough to volunteer to go along as well." The blonde girl forced a smile. "I suppose, given the circumstances, you'll be going with them."

"Won't you?"

Agrias shook her head. "Ramza has asked me to stay behind with the others. He would not tell me why."

"After what happened with Alma, perhaps he's trying to protect you. He's already lost his sister—I'm sure he doesn't want to lose you, either."

"Protect me from what? His madly stubborn brothers? Lady Claire," the holy knight sighed, "you, of all people, must understand what it feels to wonder if the Fates have decided on where we will end up. I fear that Ramza is hiding something from me. It's as if he knows that something terrible will happen tomorrow."

Lightning tucked her legs underneath herself and leaned against her right hand. "Men tend to do that when they care enough about you. I remember, when Balthier returned to Gran Pulse, he chose not to tell me about the beast threatening to destroy him, hoping that I would be able to avoid pain at all costs. Only...only that luck didn't last." She cast her eyes downward, then looked toward Agrias. "Look, Ramza cares about you. I can see it in his eyes. Don't let him go, Agrias. Cherish him."

"But what if he is caught in some trap I cannot pull him from?"

"He isn't. If worse comes to worst, I'll do all I can to make sure none of you suffer the same fate as my comrades."

* * *

Cidolfus, upon hearing that Lightning would be going with Ramza and Balthier, immediately declared that he, too, would go to the Beoulve manor. Agrias seemed thankful that Ramza would be watched over by the Thunder God, a fearless sky pirate, and an immortal squire. The other two women, Ashe and Mydia, were slightly bothered that nearly half their group would be leaving for nearly a day, but Mustadio remained optimistic.

He smiled when Lightning said good-bye to him, a smile that vaguely reminded her of the sheepish grin Balthier used to give her when she was in a not too pleased mood. Returning the machinist's smile with her own, she promised that she would come back without a single scratch, knowing that was exactly what he was worrying about underneath that smile.

When they took two chocobos and left, Lightning couldn't stop herself from thinking that something, like Agrias had said, would go wrong.

A day nearly passed when they reached the Beoulve manor. Ramza dismounted his chocobo first, gasping when he saw the large gate swung open and unhitched. A lone black chocobo was standing near the gate, squawking and pacing back and forth. Balthier stroked the bird's feathers, murmuring something to it in a low voice.

Lightning stood beside Ramza and Cidolfus, staring at the collapsed gate. "No guards," she whispered, fearing the worst.

"Passing strange," Balthier agreed from where he stood with the chocobo.

As the other three continued to look upon the manor, Ramza walked forward and eyed the bird. "Zalbaag's mount," he said hesitantly. He looked to the gate, frowned. "Now to get inside..."

He led the group inside, sighing when all the doors looked to be forced open just as the gate had. Lightning sniffed the stale air, grimacing when she caught the familiar whiff of auracite. She pushed past Ramza and marched down the hall, the floor creaking with a high moan each hurried step. At last she stopped in front of a large door that was no doubt Dycedarg's office. The dark knight's tense expression confirmed this, and she pushed the door open.

Zalbaag, already crippled and weak, was hunched over against the wall facing against his elder brother Dycedarg. Ramza, drawing the ragnarok blade, went to his half-brother's aid almost instantly.

"Stand your ground, Zalbaag!" he called, defending the elder Beoulve.

"Ramza," Zalbaag gasped, quickly going into a frenzy of frantic words. "It is all as you've said! Dycedarg enkindled this war and slew the duke; all to feed his own ambition. He has sullied our name, brought scorn upon our house—he must be made to pay!"

"He shall, Lord Brother."

Lightning scowled at Dycedarg, who had stepped down from his desk and approached the Beoulve pair. He had long blond hair, as all Beoulves did, but his eyes were what made her blood grow cold. They were nothing like what she expected of those descended from the Dalmascan line; no, he didn't have Snow's eyes. His were dark, apathetic and flat out _evil_.

"You fools!" Dycedarg cursed. "Why will you not follow where I lead? Why do you turn against me? The powerful must rule the weak, it is our duty! The Crown once held such power, but no more. Why should we not rule in its stead?" A deep chuckle arose from his throat. "We are descendants of the Dynast Queen and her King! We must wield our power and seize the reins of Ivalice once more! Why will you not see to this?"

Zalbaag, holding out his blade with a trembling grip, shook his head. "You feast on power, Brother, but leave no place at the table for justice. The name Beoulve befits brave men who raise their swords in justice's name. _You_ are no Beoulve!"

"Justice? Hah! I'd die of shame to hear the word from my own lips. Who has earned you the right to wield your sword of justice? To be hailed as _hero_? You have no right. I, however, do!"

His words seemed to enrage Balthier. The sky pirate's lips pulled into a tight scowl, and though he was far from the beast he once was, Lightning saw the faintest of red in his dark eyes. She held him by the arm as Ramza faced against his eldest half-brother.

"Easy," she murmured in his ear, and he relaxed. "He'll get what he deserves."

Neither she, Balthier nor Cidolfus moved to intercept the battle between the three brothers. Lightning knew all to well that Snow, his soul tied to his old sword, was watching over Ramza and Zalbaag. And, where she awaited back at the camp, Ashe must have been protecting them with her magick, for neither brother faltered against Dycedarg.

The squire turned her eyes toward Cidolfus and met his gaze. He could feel the auracite's aura in the room even without Exodus' warning from the Libra auracite.

_'Ah, if only Mateus were here...He would have enjoyed facing against his old foe.'_ The Lucavi spoke in vieran, and it took Lightning a few seconds to translate his words in her head. _'Adrammelech has taken hold of that hume Lord. Be cautious, Eternal one. True, the master watches you eagerly, but not even She can stop what must come.'_

"What do you mean?" Lightning hissed quietly. "The 'master'?"

_'How do you not know by now? Surely her Stone has given you truth. Or, are you too fearful to face it?'_

It was Zalbaag's blade that pierced Dycedarg's armor, and the elder Beoulve collapsed to his knees before his brothers. Lightning unsheathed her gunblade and stood in front of Balthier, in case what Exodus had said was true.

"You've ruined...everything," Dycedarg croaked, clutching the sword. "Ivalice was to be...to be ours once more. You fools...what have you done?"

As he fell to the floor, Dycedarg's body was consumed by a green light emitted from the Capricorn stone. Cidolfus moved forward, remembering how easily Zalera had controlled Lightning. She had no time to block the Disable spell sent toward her, but it wasn't from her old mentor's hand. Balthier lowered his arm when she felt her entire body lose the will to fight, and he only shook his head. _I'm sorry._

Before them and within the fading green light rose Adrammelech, the Wroth. Much like Cúchulainn, he was nothing more than a puppet-like version of his Old Ivalice form. Nevertheless, the spikes that protruded from his arms looked to be sharper than even the mightiest blade, and his goldren eyes searched the faces staring upon him.

"_So this is what it is to be a god_," the Lucavi of Capricorn spoke. He lay eyes on Ramza. "_Fool of a brother! Heed well these words, the last your ears shall hear. Slain by my hand, our father, Barbaneth. This war had brought our house its chance to rule, yet he would be watch as hist'ry passed us by. His due I granted him; no more, no less._"

As undead arose from the wood flooring, Adrammelech lunged for the youngest Beoulve. But it was Zalbaag who took the blow with the last of his strength. Impaled on the spikes, Zalbaag's body went limp as blood bubbled from his lips. He, with the color leaving his once tanned face, faced his half-brother and smiled gently.

"Ramza...Wield your sword against him," he said, breathing heavily. "Do not...let the gods steal our world again..."

His last breath parted the realm of the living, and Adrammelech tossed Zalbaag's body aside as if it were nothing more than a mere doll. Lightning turned her pained expression to Balthier, who, still, said nothing. The Lucavi turned to them all, chuckling.

"_And so on you and your comrades, Ramza, my gaze alights. Now know regret, a traitor's recompense!_"

Cidolfus, smirking, pried the gunblade from Lightning's languid hands and joined Ramza in the front lines, while Balthier remained behind to defend her against the undead. Unlike those summoned by Zalera previously, the undead controlled by Adrammelech weren't necessarily his minions. In fact, they hardly looked to be following any orders. They were just mindless and blood thirsty fiends looking for humes to kill.

Lightning wanted to slap Balthier for Disabling her.

He easily shot down any undead that came toward her, though each time one came close to him, she felt her hair stand on end. Even though she knew that he wouldn't be killed, it was still one of her greatest fears to see him get hurt while trying to protect her. But if he hadn't cast that damn spell, she wouldn't be worrying so much. And Cidolfus stole her gunblade.

It didn't help her very much that, just as Balthier turned around to face her, something grabbed her head and twisted it. Her neck snapped simultaneously, and Balthier running to her was the last thing she saw before falling into silence.

Things definitely weren't going as planned...

Not that she had much of a plan to start with.

**

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Wherever she was, she was dreaming. For one thing, she was sitting in the familiar field of flowers with the constant pattering of a waterfall somewhere in the distance. Secondly, it wasn't Balthier nor Ragnarok sitting in front of her, smiling at her as if nothing was wrong. No—it wasn't either of them.

It was Serah.

Lightning rubbed her eyes. A dream, yes. Just a dream. Right?

"_It's been a while, hasn't it, Claire?_" Serah asked, taking both of her sister's hands in her own. "_Over a thousand years I've waited to talk with you. A thousand years since I left Ivalice._"

"It was your voice I heard when Zalmour declared us as heretics. Wasn't it?"

"_I...suppose so. You've heard many voices, Claire. And you've seen many from our past._" She looked down. "_And Balthier came back. The past, as you've been told, will always return. There is no escaping it._"

The squire looked around. "Serah, why aren't you with the other Yarhi? That day, you left with Ragnarok, remember? How can you still be here?"

"_My crystal. It keeps me here. I can't leave until...until..._"

Lightning moved closer to her younger sister. "Until, what? Serah, you can tell me."

"_No, Claire, I...Please, I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't want_—_I _never_ wanted to..._" Her bright eyes clouded with tears. "_I just wanted to be with him again, to be with you and everyone else..._"

"Serah? What is it?"

Serah's image faded away, leaving a young boy with pale skin and dark eyes staring up at her. Lightning flinched at the touch of his cold skin, pulling her hands away and catching herself before she could fall backward. The little boy smiled at her; so much like Serah.

"_I welcome you, dearest Eternal one, to my Ivalice: the kingdom of Saint Ajora._"

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_D:_


	18. Defying the Bonds of Fate

**Author's Note:** _You know what I just realized? We've only got four chapters left of this story after this one. 22 chapters. *longing sigh* I can't believe that this series, which I started just this past summer, is almost over...ANYWAY. I have good news. My Balthier action figure has been repaired! A friend of mine gave me this awesome wood-working glue, and now Balthy has both of his arms. He and Snow are now chilling on the shelf above my bed, sharing a few bromantic moments and what-not._

_I'm in a much better mood, __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__ and __**Riku Uzumaki**__! But let's get this show on the road, shall we?_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Eighteen

Defying the Bonds of Fate

Someone was slapping her face. Their hands were burning her skin with each moment of tender contact, and Lightning wanted to just scream at them and tell them to _bugger off_. It wasn't until her eyes flickered into the light that she saw Cidolfus kneeling over her, gunblade in hand. At first she wondered why it was him waking her up and ignoring the battle with Adrammelech, but almost simultaneously she remembered that Balthier was there, too.

"And so the phoenix rises again," Cidolfus exhaled in relief. "Your pirate was beginning to worry about you."

"Adrammelech," she coughed, finding her voice. The Disable spell must have worn off. "What happened with Adrammelech?"

"The other two are holding him off, for the time being."

Lightning willed her legs to move as she stood, grumbling as she accepted Cidolfus' assistance. The blurring of her vision dissipated and the elegant Beoulve office faded into view. The shadows of battle danced along the wall in the next room, and though her hearing was still a tad off, she could barely make out the snapping of bullets against metal. Cidolfus pushed the gunblade into her stiff hands.

"Come along now. It's time to kill yet another god, my phoenix."

She dashed into the other room, slashing her blade into the skull of an undead when she slid across the floor. Ramza and Balthier seemed to be handling themselves well enough, only bearing a few scratches here and there. Cidolfus joined the dark knight up front, leaving the other two to handle the remaining zombies stumbling around Adrammelech.

"You know," Lightning spat through tight lips, "the next time you decide to cast a spell on me, make sure I can still _slap_ you."

Balthier only laughed.

It was her gunblade that pierced Adrammelech's misshapen form, disrupting the Mist churning through his veins. The Lucavi fell at their feet, though his dark gaze sluggishly moved in his killer's direction.

"_Too soon this mortal coil did I assume!_" Adrammelech bleated hoarsely. "_Angel of Blood, High Seraph...Come too late..._"

He disintegrated into clouds of dust, blowing in a Mist driven wind, and left nothing but the Capricorn stone behind laying on the floor. Ramza picked it up, brushing off the skin particles with a slightly hesitant hand.

"House Beoulve is no more, but the blood of our ancestors lives on," he breathed. "But what does it matter? We are the sum of our deeds, not our names."

"I would hope you've done a few heroic deeds in your young life," Balthier murmured and flashed a smirk.

Ramza leaned against the ragnarok sword with both of his eyebrows arched. Behind him, the translucent figure of Snow was grinning like a madman. He obviously missed having the sky pirate acknowledge him. Lightning rolled her eyes and sheathed her gunblade onto her belt, while Cidolfus caught her eye.

"On, my phoenix, just tell your pirate that his hero is here, would you?" he drawled. Her cheeks flushed, and she refused to look in Balthier's direction, knowing that his reaction would be less than pleased.

"_My_ hero?" Balthier scoffed. "I left him with his Queen, if I remember correctly. You've gone senile, old man. The Ice of this era is already buried in the ground."

Snow looked hurt. "Aw, Balthier! I'm right here! Listen to the old guy, will you?" He desperately looked at Lightning, pleading with her. "Sis, tell him I'm here, okay? He'll believe you, I'm sure he will."

"He can't see you, Snow," Lightning growled. "We've been over this before. You and all the others need to move on and give me my normal life back. No matter how hard you try, Balthier isn't going to talk to you face to face."

The three men were staring at her with confounded expressions, though Balthier seemed to be the most surprised. Cidolfus had known all along that she could see the ghosts of her old comrades, as Ashe was the one who told him. Ramza, on the other hand, had seen so many outworldly things in the past months, he probably learned to just adapt and deal with it.

"I haven't seen him for _centuries_, sis," Snow continued to complain. As a ghost appearing as a forty-something year old, he should have learned to not be so childish.

"Isn't his ghost in the same place as everyone elses?"

"No, he's...he's already moved on, Light. At least, that's what Fran thinks."

Lightning frowned. "And why haven't the rest of you gone with him?"

"She won't let us move on. She refuse to let me go, sis."

Snow disappeared, but not before touching Balthier's shoulder with a warm hand. The sky pirate flinched, swerving around and looking in all directions. As they departed the Beoulve manor, Lightning ignored the rest of the group and kept to herself. Not even Balthier's attempts to cheer her up earned any attention; she was too frustrated with him to even look at his face.

Whoever _she_ was, Lightning knew that things wouldn't be ending as easily as she wanted.

**

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**

Upon returning to the camp, Lightning accepted the relieved embrace from Mustadio while Agrias happily took Ramza into her own arms. Balthier avoided looking at the pairs, though Lightning wondered if she saw a glint of jealousy in his eyes. She let go of Mustadio, ruffling his hair gently.

"I'm back in one piece, just like I promised," she assured him. "And we've got the Capricorn Stone, too."

"Is it as I feared?" Ashe asked from where she sat by the fire pit. "My own blood, tainted by the Lucavi?"

Balthier sat down across from her, holding his ungloved hands up to the flames. "Can't say I'm not surprised," he said with a heavy sigh. "You royals have been tempted with power for many generations. The Occuria tried seducing you with it twice, but each time they failed."

"Twice?" The seeress' lips twisted into a small smile. "Because time began anew after you traveled to the other world?"

"We've talked about this before, Princess. At least Ice isn't here to get jealous because I once attempted to win your heart." He caught Lightning's burning glare. "That is, before I met Light and the others. All this time travel is beginning to make my head hurt."

"Just be glad this is your final jump through time."

"Oh, of course I am glad to know that. I'll return to my time, be accosted by Fran for disappearing again, and get threatened with house arrest by Ice. And then, no doubt, those two orphans turned sky pirate will be after my ship again."

It wasn't long after that that Lightning stubbornly followed Balthier into the next town, after he claimed he needed a chance to relax, have some Bervenian madhu and clear his mind. She only went along to keep him under control, and even though Ashe volunteered to go with them, she needed some time alone with the sky pirate to talk things over. What, exactly, she had only one idea.

They were seated at the corner of the bar, though Balthier was lounging with his feet propped up on the table and his head resting against the chair. Lightning crossed her legs and stared at him, wondering how long it would take for the madhu to knock him out.

"We need to talk," she said after a while, "about something I _know_ you've been avoiding since the moment you met Mustadio."

"If this is about having heirs, I haven't done a single thing to sway from you, Light." He examined the nearly empty glass with glassy eyes. "That doesn't mean my future self won't, though."

She narrowed her eyes at the wood flooring. "Why, though? Is it really that hard for you to commit?"

"So says the woman who refuses to say 'I do'..."

"That's completely different, Balthier. You haven't done anything yet, but someday you will have an affair with another woman. Probably _multiple_ women, knowing you."

"Perhaps the only reason I won't be faithful is because you tell me to."

Lightning looked at him, blinking slowly.

"I am the only living Bunansa of my time," he continued, "which means I am the one that makes sure that the name doesn't die out. It's because of me that your little machinist is walking around this Ivalice, building guns and preaching about a time where ships claimed the skies. As I said, I do not doubt that this moment is when you tell me to go about and seduce whomever I want...all to guarantee that your machinist exists."

"And why is this relevant?"

"Without Mustadio, you'd still be roaming this Ivalice like a lost bird that cannot fly. Look at you, you're almost back to being the woman I met in Cocoon." Balthier's grin widened. "For once, I'm not the one who has influenced you to change."

She folded her arms. "So you're saying that right now I'm going to allow you to have as many affairs as you want?"

"I'm going back to my time one of these days, Light. And when I'm gone, who will be here to keep you sane?"

"I can't believe you're trying to convince me to let you be unfaithful..." She sighed deeply and rubbed her temples. "I guess I have no choice but to allow you to do whatever you want when I'm not around. This doesn't seem right, but..."

"And now you know how I felt whenever that beastie tried to steal you from me."

They sat there in silence, though Lightning would occasionally eavesdrop on another conversation in the bar. Most of the hunters talked about all their failed attempts at capturing the woman called Phoenix and the godless thief, while some boasted about their victorious battles against knights and mages.

One conversation, however, caught her interest. Two men, sitting just across the way from her and Balthier, were talking about some legendary beast buried deep within a cave in the middle of a forest.

"Then the legend speaks true! Treasure sleeps in that forest."

"Aye, that it does. Treasure beyond worth...down in the depths, out of sight and reach."

The older of the men laughed. "It's bound to be guarded by traps, yes? Else it would sleep in some noble's vaults by now."

"More than traps—a man, if talk be true. They call him the Serpent Bearer. Charming and divine, but a soul as dark as the caverns he calls home..."

"No thank you is what I say to that, then! A man would have to be a fool to go down there!"

"The treasure be damned. To enter it is to bid good-bye to the light of day."

"What do they call this place again?"

"Midlight's Deep—and rightly so."

Lightning looked to Balthier, hoping he had heard the same thing. Unfortunately, he was slumped forward with his head resting on the table, still clutching the madhu in his hands. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Pirates..."

**

* * *

**

All it took to convince Ramza to go to Midlight's Deep was say the word 'auracite'. Though he was suspicious about Lightning's sudden determination to go back there, he agreed upon remembering his lost sister, Alma. Balthier, on the other hand, was too distracted by a pounding headache to even care where they were going next.

She made sure that Ashe cast a Shell spell on the non-immortal members of their party, and Lightning purposely tied her red cape around Mustadio's neck and covered his mouth, all to keep him from contracting the mossfungus disease again. It was Mydia who spotted that moment between the two of them, and she looked knowingly to Balthier, who, still, wasn't paying much attention. He did, however, smirk at Lightning when he walked in step with her and the machinist.

Yiazmat's corpse was laying in their path when they reached what appeared to be the lowest floor, and much to Mydia's discomfort, it had been clearly killed by a more skilled hunter than herself. Agrias seemed uneasy about it as well.

"This has the stench of the Lucavi all over it," she whispered roughly, drawing her sword. "We need to be cautious if we are to continue onward."

"There is no stopping Light now," Mustadio added. "She and Ramza must really want that Zodiac Stone..."

Lightning led the group past Yiazmat's corpse and through a cavern hidden by vines. Ashe cast a Fire spell and held the dancing flame in her hand, walking with the squire at the front of the group. Everything was dark and almost endless, from what Lightning could see (or couldn't, for that matter). Droplets of water against the stone echoed in her ears, and a low laugh chimed around them. A slimy hiss followed after, and as soon as they stood in the large, empty chamber, Lightning unsheathed her gunblade.

"Snow yourself, Lucavi!" she called out, raising her blade.

"_As you wish._"

A man approached them from within the shadows, a silver snake trailed around his tanned neck. Ashe gasped at the sight of his face, recognizing the look of his deep crimson eyes and dark hair. Smirking gently, Ragnarok stood before them with Lindzei, the snake wrapped around his neck.

"_It has been some time, Claire. I was wondering when you might find me._"

She smiled, unsure exactly why. "I had a feeling your role in this story wasn't done yet, Ragnarok."

The younger members of their party were surprised, and even Cidolfus wasn't too certain as to what was going on. Ramza turned toward Lightning and Balthier.

"Ragnarok?" he asked. "The monster that my ancestor destroyed?"

Ragnarok crossed his arms and tilted his head. "_Do I appear as a monster to you? Children these days; always jumping to conclusions...Nevertheless, I bid you welcome to my domain, Midlight's Deep._"

"You, too, were torn from your seat in the sky?" Lightning asked in an almost tender tone.

"_Ultima proposed that I join her in this fight, but I refused, knowing that yourself and the descendants of your old comrades would be at the front lines._" The god exhaled a breath, shaking his head. "_And so, here I am. Once again damned to a cage and Stone. At least this time I don't have the pathetic fal'Cie as masters..._"

"But you're still trapped here. When I defeated Feolthanos, I meant for you to be set free."

"_I was, for a while. Until Ultima took claim of the espers and turned them into what they are now._"

Balthier held back a laugh. "I can only imagine what sort of beast she would have turned you into, had you chosen to join her."

"_No worse than when I _was_ a beast._"

Pointing her nose upward, Mydia reviled, "As much as this reunion touches my heart, we have more important things to dwell on. Such as finding more of the Zodiac Stones to use against the Lucavi."

"_It would do you well to be more patient, dear Mydia_," Ragnarok hummed. Lindzei slithered further down his arm and flicked its tongue at the Feol viera. "_No good comes from hastiness, mind you._"

"Do not pretend to have acquired innocence, Lucavi. You are the one of the rebellious gods, are you not? The Serpent Bearer, representing the Thirteenth Zodiac. The one sign that was never meant to exist."

"_Perhaps. You are looking for the Serpentarius Stone? The other Lucavi may fight you in defense of their power, but I will not._" He held out a green stone encrusted in gold with the same hand Lindzei inched closer to. "_Take this Stone and destroy the gods once and for all. Too long have they held hist'ry's chains and damned us for what we wish to be: hume._"

Balthier moved to take the auracite, but Lightning grabbed it instead. "I'm not risking anything with you," she warned. "If you held that Stone, Balthier, I wouldn't be surprised if you turned into the beast again. Snow isn't here to save you, remember?"

"Neither is that tear drop crystal of..." Balthier's eyes widened as his voice trailed off, and as he looked toward the god standing in front of them, Ragnarok smiled. "You knew all along. That crystal, when Ice used it to separate us, removed not only your essence but that of Ultima as well. I lost my ability to summon her because her power was taken into that Stone."

Lightning remembered that day well; that was the same day she became an Eternal. "But Ultima was in Lemurés. Penelo earned the right to summon her."

"_And what disease killed the dancer, I wonder?_" Ragnarok scratched the underneath Lindzei's head with a single finger. "_A disease created by the High Seraph's followers._" Upon hearing this, Ashe gasped and tears filled her gray eyes. "_Yes, her Plague was what brought you to this curse as well, my Queen. Ultima's essence returned to that Stone when Feolthanos was defeated and the Yarhi passed on. However, that Stone was still connected to a young Yarhi girl; one that you knew well, Claire._"

The squire's lips parted slightly. "Serah..."

"_Your sister could not pass on. Or, rather, she didn't want to depart the living._"

It was just as Serah said in that dream: _Please, I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't want—I _never_ wanted to...I just wanted to be with him again, to be with you and everyone else._

"_As much as it pains me to inform this of you, your sister is not who she once was, Claire._" Ragnarok met her eyes. "_No longer is she the girl who wished for her home to be saved, no longer is she the girl who fell in love with a foolish hero. No—she is so much more now._ _She is Ultima._"

Lightning nearly lost herself for a moment, if it weren't for Balthier's comforting grip on her arm. It couldn't be true! Serah...was _Ultima_?

"But that girl is dead," Mydia spat. "She cannot be a Lucavi."

"_Folly, that_," Ragnarok retorted. Lindzei hissed as if to reply. "_No, Ultima's host must be one that is not hume._"

Ramza shifted uncomfortably. "A god, then?"

"_Perhaps, perhaps not._"

"Stop talking in such riddles, Lucavi!" Mydia reached for her sword. "You mean to trick us."

Mustadio pulled the red cape from his face and pushed past Agrias and Cidolfus. "No, I believe him!" he exclaimed, and Lightning's eyes flickered in his direction.

"_Mydia, listen to the boy. He understands this more than you._"

"Someone," Mustadio continued, "that is neither god nor hume..."

Tapping a finger on her chin, Agrias glanced between the faces of her comrades. "Something that doesn't exist seems to be what you're talking about, so that can only mean there is no host for Ultima."

"_There are many things that were never meant to exist._" Ragnarok faced Lightning one last time, giving her the same look Balthier would give her when he was hiding something. "_I wonder: will you understand before it's too late?_"

His body disappeared into the Serpentarius auracite, and as soon as he was gone Lightning held the stone close to her chest. She shut her eyes tightly, afraid to meet the eyes of her friends and, more importantly, the eyes of the ones she loved.

"Serah..."

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_The truth is revealed!_


	19. Worst Birthday Ever

**Author's Note:** _And so the finale begins. These last few chapters may be slightly confusing, so feel free to ask whatever questions you may have! Also, the poll on my profile will stay up until this story is over, which is when I'm decide on what stories I will definitely be working on as my next projects. Currently, _This Fate _is in the lead, and _Falling_ and_ Of Pirates & Ninjas_ are tied for second._

_We're getting so close to the ending! I love my best supporters, __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__ and__** Riku Uzumaki**__. I'm very excited to get this story over with and start on my new projects, but I'm very sad to see it end, too...And, yes, this chapter title is borrowed from Lightning's most famous line in _Final Fantasy XIII_: "Worst birthday ever." I believe there's a remix of that quote somewhere on YouTube...Anyway, the flashback at the beginning takes us back to the events of _24_, just in case you're all "Wait, what?" and stuff. :)_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Nineteen

Worst Birthday Ever

_**Gran Pulse, Sanctum Headquarters**_

_I knew that turning Snow and Fran in to the Sanctum wasn't one of my better ideas, but I was desperate to find some clarity in all this madness. I was lost and no seemed willing to help me understand. Sure, Snow would eventually tell me everything, but not until Balthier was ready to explain himself. Instead of rescuing his partner and best friend (was Snow considered as that?), he ran away and took Serah with him._

_Morgana had nearly killed Snow during the last interrogation, but I didn't seem to care. He was still there, now, but Fran was taking care of him. Myself and the soldiers placed under my charge were patrolling the headquarters in case there was any chance a certain sky pirate turned beast came to save his only allies._

_There were times when I wished I was one of his allies, but not anymore. It was my fault he was on the run with my sister, and that Snow was getting closer and closer in becoming a martyr._

_"Captain Farron," one of my soldiers spoke up. "This sector appears to be clear."_

_My lips pulled upward. "Yeah, I'm not blind."_

_I continued leading them through the seemingly endless halls, not too sure exactly where I was going. My gunblade felt heavy on my belt, more so than usual, and all I wanted to do was run off on my own and find Balthier. I didn't want anyone else to tell me what was going on; I needed him to tell me. If it was just as Snow told me, then whatever feelings I developed for that sky pirate two years before were still there. Maybe that was why I was still so hesitant to really understand what was going on with him._

_The secret he'd been keeping from me all along was...disturbing. He was the monster that had been haunting my dreams and demanding that I forget him. Ragnarok._

_Honestly? I was afraid of him._

_The loud snap of a gun shot drew my attention elsewhere, and suddenly I was running without a second thought. Something was pulling me forward, leading me to some place I didn't really care to know. But it was the terrified sound of Snow's voice that made me worry._

_"Serah, you can't...! Serah! Serah, don't leave me here..._please_, Serah..."_

_He was cradling her in his arms, sobbing uncontrollably as he tried to wake her up. Serah wasn't sleeping. Standing just down the hall were Balthier and Fran, though Balthier looked as if he was on the verge of tearing Serah's killer to pieces. Morgana lowered her gun as soon as I came into view, staring at my sister's now unmoving body._

_When she brushed past me, smirking, I nearly lost my mind. Suddenly I was on my knees, clenching my eyes shut. Balthier walked away, too, but for a moment, from what I could see, he didn't want to leave me there. But he did. All I did then was scream._

_This was how it was meant to be._

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Orbonne: where it all began.

Ramza and Agrias went to confront the High Confessor, only to find him near death after a man by the name of Folmarv attacked them. The Confessor, in his last breath, told them of where Alma was: the Orbonne Monastery. When she first heard of this from them, Lightning didn't know what to think. Orbonne was where she fought Delita and lost, met Ramza and Agrias, and was saved by Balthier from the loss of her own sanity.

Serah was there, too, waiting for her.

Lightning crossed her legs as she leaned back in her seat, eying all the intoxicated men and women in the pub. They had reached Orbonne just that morning, and by afternoon Lightning isolated herself from the rest of the party and went elsewhere. Going to the pub wasn't the best choice, but it was the only place she knew no one would follow her. She wasn't in the best of moods after hearing about her sister's fate just days before, and, of course, the end of wintertime marked the day she absolutely loathed.

Her birthday. On this day, she was officially one-thousand-three-hundred-seventeen years of age. No one but Balthier knew that it was her birthday, and she wasn't prepared to let anyone else know. Yet, as always, her leading man decided to choose otherwise.

She overheard him talking with Mustadio just down the hall of the pub, urging the machinist to go on with something. Not too long after Mustadio turned up by her table with a small wrapped box in hand.

"Ah, Lightning!" he exclaimed, clearly lacking confidence. "I, ah, I hope this is n-not...not a bad time."

"Is something wrong?" was all she asked, confused.

"N-no, it's just, I—here!" He pushed the box into her hands and his cheeks flushed with sheer embarrassment. Lightning stared at the box with the blue bow.

"What's this?"

Mustadio glanced toward the hall, where both of them could see Balthier watching with the ghost of a smirk on his face. "It's a, ah...um—a present! I heard today was your birthday, so I, well..."

She smiled feebly. "Today _is_ my birthday, isn't it? I'd almost forgotten after all these years...Who told you? Balthier, right? That pirate doesn't understand when to not talk..."

"Well, yes, he did, but...I wanted you give you this. It isn't much."

"So I can open it now?"

"Ah, yes! Of course!"

Lightning carefully peeled the wrapping paper from the box with gentle fingers, and when she lifted the lid, she was surprised to find a silver bracelet with a pale pink rose charm. For a moment she simply stared at it until looking back to Mustadio's shy face.

"A rose," she breathed quietly. "They're my favorite. How did you know?"

He twiddled his fingers, pulling at the end of his glove. "I remembered the time we visited Balthier's grave with all those dried roses laying around. Every chance you have had over the years, you brought a rose as if to tell him how you, um...How you felt for him."

Balthier's gaze met hers and she smiled. "Thank you, Mustadio. You've been so good to me, I don't know where I would be right now without you."

As Mustadio tried to act calm and collected, with Lightning chuckling at him, Balthier turned away and leaned against the wall, smiling to himself.

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It was Mydia who first noticed the bracelet around Lightning's wrist, though Ashe looked to have known all along what Balthier and Mustadio were planning. Cidolfus seemed the slightest bit annoyed, though he'd forgotten his apprentice's birthday altogether. She forgave him, smirking while he promised to show her new techniques once their auracite hunt was over.

The second highlight of that day was Ragnarok's reaction to the bracelet. She was sitting with Balthier and Ashe by the fire pit when she heard his bothered voice coming from the Serpentarius stone in her pocket. _'A mere trinket? Tch, if I was not bound to this Stone, I would have given you so much more, Claire. I would have killed a thousand humes for you, had I the chance.'_

She told him that wasn't necessary, but his rant continued.

_'I do not understand why Ffamran helped that whelp in the first place. I am still connected to him, in a way, and he has not been pleased with knowing how Mustadio feels for you, Claire. The green eyed beast of envy has been clouding his eyes for a long time, yet now it seems to have subsided.'_

"I think you're the jealous one, Ragnarok," Lightning told him, but he scoffed.

_'Myself, jealous? I am a _god_. We are not jealous of mere humes, nor anyone else for that matter!'_

Night was upon them when they reached the monastery, and as soon as Lightning set foot inside its walls, she heard a distant and lost voice calling out for her. Ashe asked if anything was wrong, sensing it as well, but the squire shook her head. Ramza led the group through the lower floors, the eerie silence feeling more like an echo of the many souls held between the Lucavi's claws.

"What secrets lie within these walls?" Ramza murmured as he walked on. "Lady Claire, surely you know the original name of the land where this monastery was built."

"I...I think it might be a piece of Lemurés," Lightning answered. "When it collapsed, all the areas where auracite was contained fell within Ivalice and became a part of the land. Unless I'm mistaken, where we are now is where Vaan, Penelo and I fought Ultima."

Balthier rested the fomalhaut on his shoulder. "Walls lined with auracite...I dare say that can't be good."

A loud crash, followed by deep voices, erupted in the cavern below. Ramza led the party down the final flight of stone stairs, though his determination faltered into nothing the moment he caught sight of his young sister, Alma, lying unconscious in the dirt with a middle-aged man standing over her. She still wore Lightning's crimson trench coat, reminding the squire that she had given her own safety to protect Lightning. Folmarv Tengille, the one bearing the Leo auracite (as Ragnarok hastily explained), scowled at the appearance of his enemies, clenching his fists.

"Hounds!" he cursed. "You think to follow me? Hah! I shall cast open the very gates of Hell and damn you with me!" He raised his hands toward the large gate before them, and a dim light emitted at his fingertips. "_Faolos cheos da vanda! Zorda ramud feolio...Zomal, Reeve of Time, by oath unto you am I bound. Timeless, cross you now the vastness of Time's gulf. Throw wide Her gates that we may pass!_"

A burst of blue magick energy erupted and spread across the cavern, and just moments after Lightning unsheathed her gunblade, a capacious darkness overcame their minds and blinded them to the light. A warm arm wrapped around her shoulders, and she could feel Balthier's weak but uneasy breath against her neck. When the light finally returned, all she could see was an endless land of crystal, glittering and shining even in the night.

"Where are we?" Ashe asked them all, and Cidolfus only offered a small shrug.

Lightning, however, knew exactly where they were. The voice whispering in the back of her mind told her thus. "It can't be," her own frightened voice exclaimed. "We're...we're in Cocoon! My _home_..."

It pained her to see her old home, even though Cocoon had long been abandoned. Without Fang and Vanille holding it together, the world had collapsed into the crust of Gran Pulse, killing all life forms on the once peaceful land. She wasn't too certain as to why Folmarv's incantation sent them there, but the loving voice hissing in her head kept reminding her that she was finally home.

"Never again," Folmarv spoke as Alma's small frame started to awaken, "will you see the skies of Ivalice. There is no turning back. Here you will witness the return of our Seraph!" He held out the tear-drop crystal toward Alma's scared expression, though nothing happened. "I do not understand...Why does Virgo not stir? The spirit of the High Seraph lingers in this place, I am sure. She once hoped to save this world. What could be amiss?"

All of them, even Balthier, said nothing. Ramza reached for his sword, his dark eyes watching his sister carefully, though Agrias carefully held his hand as if to hold him back. Folmarv, searching their faces, finally lay his gaze on Lightning, then back to Alma.

"Mayhap you are not Her vessel after all. Girl, you have lied to us all. No, you are not the one we sought for so long. You are not the Eternal one!" He moved to hit her, but Alma backed up against a crystal pillar with her hands drawn close to her chest.

"Ser, please!" she cried. "I meant no harm—"

"Be silent, _girl_. It does not matter. The Eternal one stands before us now."

Ramza was quick to move against Folmarv, heaving the ragnarok blade over his shoulder and holding it toward the old knight. "It is over, Folmarv!" he bellowed. "You will not rouse Virgo! End this and release my sister!"

"You see, do you not? It is but a matter of blood!" Folmarv gestured toward the tear-drop crystal, and Lightning couldn't look away. "The Angel of Blood must slake her thirst ere she rise again. The land has drunk deep of blood in the chiliads since the Cataclysm, yet still she covets more. So be it. Once more to world of light, there to steep the earth in blood's sweet rain."

Agrias shifted uncomfortably, her knuckles whitening as she clutched her own sword. "He speaks of madness..."

"Do I? Here before me stand the descendants of those who damned the Seraph to her eternal unrest. A son and daughter of the Dalmascan line; the Destroyer of Ragnarok's blood runs through their veins." Folmarv looked to Mustadio, who was aiming his pistols with trembling arms. "A machinist that is an almost equal image of the Divine's vessel, but no more a fool than he. Ah, I cannot forget the arrival of their ancestors, here now."

The Leo auracite, now visible through his tight grasp, began to glow.

"I should be honored," he continued, "to be in the presence of a once-Queen, but you are a simple seeress now. And what is this? Ragnarok's chosen vessel himself! Ah, the High Seraph curses your names to this very day, for you both are the very reason her beloved chose to run from her into the new world. Your blood shall be more worth than all."

A golden cloud enveloped his chuckling and menacing form, transforming him into a beast resembling a noble lion. Hashmal, the Bringer of Order, held out his arms and roared.

"_Angel of Blood, in all things you I serve. No wine more deep, no searing coal more hot than this: the crimson blood for you I spill!_"

Before any of them could strike, Ramza dove right into the battle and shielded his sister from Hashmal's wrath. Agrias soon followed, as did Mydia, but for some reason Lightning looked to be torn between what she wanted to do, and what the voice in her head was saying to her. _'My Stone, Claire. Take it in your hand, please! Unlock this cage they've bound you and I to!'_ When she seemed ready to strike Hashmal down and take the Virgo stone from his hands, Ashe moved in front of her and snapped her out of her trance.

She couldn't understand what was going on or why they were all fighting. Hashmal was proving to be much too strong for them all, and even Cidolfus, laughing as he faced death, was losing the will to fight. Lightning swerved around when a bullet whizzed past her ear, and Balthier was staring at her with a look that mirrored one Snow had given her years ago, when she was saying good-bye to him aboard the second _Palamecia_. Was it finally time to say farewell to him, too?

One-thousand-three-hundred-seventeen...She hadn't changed at all, it seemed. There she was, watching her comrades fight to their deaths, and she was still powerless to save them. She held eternity in her grasp, but it was for herself and only herself. Even if they didn't die in this battle, they would die someday. Mustadio, now young and brash, would fade into nothing but dust in the wind. And she would have to hold him in her arms, watching him die just as she had Balthier.

Her gunblade slipped from her fingertips and she reached for the Serpentarius stone in her pocket. Ragnarok was snarling at her, demanding that she set him free so he could kill Hashmal. His words were like venom, poisoning her blood yet still tempting her to follow in his stead.

"I don't want to lose you, too," was all she could whisper to him. But her voice was drowned out by Hashmal's roars, and as each moment passed Ragnarok kept getting angrier and angrier with her, cursing at his fellow Lucavi.

That was when she spotted Alma, crouched and huddled against the crystal pillar, fearing for her brother's life. She thought of her own sister immediately. Serah was lost in the tides of fate, trapped in a cage that there was no escape from. Lightning knew that feeling well.

Hashmal fell to Ramza's sword, stumbling to the crystallized ground and staring at the Virgo stone in his paws. Balthier seemed weary of the crystal, and even the brave and stubborn Mydia was unsure.

"_My goddess and master...still you do not wake..._" As the Lucavi spoke, the tear-drop crystal began to sparkle. "_Too far we've come...to taste now defeat. Angel...of Blood. That you should rise, my life I gladly give!_"

In the blink of an eye, Hashmal unleashed Mist from his body and tore himself apart. All that remained when the clouds cleared was the Leo stone, cracking and rolling against the ground. Alma pulled herself to her feet, shivering still, and quickly ran into the arms of her brother. But her feet kicked the Virgo auracite toward Lightning, and the moment she looked down at it, her mind, body and soul started to burn.

She cried out as the Virgo stone's glow blinded her, and not even Balthier could pull her from the soothing sound of Serah's voice. But another voice, a more demonic tone, mixed in with Serah's, filled her burning ears.

_'Dearest sister, I am sorry.'_

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_Le gasp!_


	20. Ultima, the High Seraph

**Author's Note:** _I would have had this done earlier, but I discovered an online version of photoshop...So I've been making icons and the like in relation to this series. I get easily distracted...But, I made a few icons that I'm happy with, especially the Snow and Balthier ones. :) Yeah, I'm obsessed._

_Other than that, I honestly can't think of much to say right now, so, um...Thank you as always, my reviewers, __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**Riku Uzumaki**__ and __**HopelessRomanticist**__. You guys literally reviewed ten minutes apart from each other!_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Twenty

Ultima, the High Seraph

Balthier wrapped his arms around Lightning's trembling form, much like he used to whenever she was burned by white magick. But this was worse—far, far worse. The Virgo stone continued to shine with a bright burst of Mist, reacting with the blood that now stained the crystallized Cocoon.

"Don't you dare give up _now_, Light," Balthier hissed, but she couldn't hear him anymore.

From where he was crouched on the ground with Mydia, Mustadio almost lost his own mind at the sight before him. His hands were shaking violently, and although he could feel Ashe's protective magick over him, he knew that something terrible would happen to them all. Ramza was with Alma near the other end of the cavern, and Agrias wasn't too far away from him, of course. Cidolfus looked to be ready for whatever danger was coming next, though his old eyes worriedly watched his apprentice suffer. Mustadio feverishly looked back to the pair at the center of it all.

A blunt force of magick tossed Balthier aside like a doll when it enveloped Lightning's form, and Ragnarok's crystal went rolling into a crevasse. When the magick cleared and Mustadio opened his eyes once more, large angelic wings unfolded and revealed Ultima, wearing Lightning's form. Her crimson armor, like blood, stood out from the bright blue of the crystals around her. Chuckling quietly and her lips twisted into a fierce smile, Ultima sauntered toward Balthier as he pushed himself up from the ground.

"You killed me, Balthier," she said in a gentle, yet eerie tone. "You brought me with you on that day to save our dear Snow. It was because of you that I died."

He squinted, uncertain of what he was hearing. Balthier's normally calm and collected smirk had vanished, and in its place was the smallest hint of a frown. "Serah?" he whispered.

"I died protecting you, and how did you repay me?" Her lips contorted into a snarl. "You weren't there when Snow died, when those Rozarrians murdered him! You call yourself a hero, Balthier—but you are _nothing_!"

Balthier held his hands steadily in front of himself, backing up against the crystallized wall. "Give her back, Serah. There's no need to be this way, and it would be better to just pretend that this is all but a petty dream. You're not yourself these days; this is just Ultima talking—"

"Snow died for _you_ and only _you_!"

While Balthier looked as if he were unable to move, Ultima cried out just as a long blade pierced through her neck, but no blood was spilled. Ashe, keeping her eyes tightly shut, wrenched her sword from the Lucavi goddess and stepped back. Ultima smiled when she turned around.

"Cruel, cruel Ashelia...Do you not deny the truth anymore?" she asked. "You once loved this man, did you not? Yet so easily replaced, he was, with the heart of my hero..."

The seeress said nothing, though she glanced once at the sky pirate pressed up against the crystal wall. Ultima floated toward Balthier again, caressing his cheek with a long fingered hand. He shivered from her touch, but he kept a stern expression as she leaned closer to his face. When their lips met in a slow embrace, Mustadio could have sworn he heard a distant and lost voice screaming. Wide eyed, Balthier pulled away from the goddess, his lip trickling with warm blood.

"You cannot save everyone," Ultima purred as she pressed her cheek against his own. "Farewell, dear leading man."

With a wave of her hand, Balthier vanished without a sound in a green flash of light. Mustadio stumbled backward, staring at the spot where his ancestor stood in sheer terror. He then looked to the goddess in Lightning's form, tears threatening his young eyes. Cidolfus, on the other hand, took the time to walk forward and wield his excalibur blade.

"How quaint," he spoke loudly. "It seems we have a jealous goddess on our hands. You lost your love long ago, and so you have taken away your sister's man in vengeance?"

Ultima didn't even catch his smirk. "You are entranced with Claire, calling her _your_ phoenix. If I am as you say, then you are no different. But I have taken her, too, from this realm."

"And we shall take you from this world, if we must!" Ramza cried out, standing with Cidolfus. Agrias and Mydia gallantly joined his side. Even the young Alma, bright eyes no longer lined with tears, got to her feet and faced the goddess.

"Ah. I can smell his bravery in your blood, Ramza Beoulve. What will you do, I wonder, to save them all?"

"I am no hero," Ramza spoke confidently. "But a knight of the Order I am!"

He wasn't sure why, but the moment his friends stood against Ultima, Mustadio ran away. His heart was pounding in a rhythmic beat in his ears with each frantic step he took, dashing through the crystallized chambers in hopes of finding somewhere to hide. He wouldn't watch them kill Lightning, even if she wasn't really there. Lightning and Balthier were both banished by Ultima; or was she as Balthier thought? Serah, that was what he called her.

Lightning had told him many things about her only sister. Serah was once a girl who dreamed of becoming a teacher, just so she could tell everyone of who really saved their home. She was in love with Snow and eventually married him, living a happy life until her untimely death. Ultima had been truthful, however. It was Balthier's fault that Serah had been killed, but Mustadio didn't know if it was right to blame him for what happened to Lightning, too. There wasn't anyone to truly blame, not even the corrupt Church of Glabados.

Mustadio continued to run until he lost his footing, falling through the shattered crystal and into the depths below. He barely uttered a cry when he fell, landing against the cold ground not a moment later. For a while he only lay there, listening to the clashing blades and cries of battle above, wondering if he would ever get back home. His father must have been worried sick, right?

"I never should have left home," he groaned.

_'If you keep worrying over the past, you won't get anywhere, boy.'_

He sat up at the sound of the voice; whoever it was sounded like Balthier, though much more dark and almost cruel. "Who's there?" Mustadio called out, reaching for his pistols.

The voice laughed. _'Ah, so you _can_ hear me. You're not as dimwitted as you look, are you? No one but Claire has been able to hear me since finding my Stone. Not even Ffamran could hear me, and we used to share the same body. A shame how times have changed...'_

"You're...you're that man from Midlight's Deep, aren't you? Ragnarok?"

_'I knew you would understand; you aren't completely different from my previous host. Now, if you listen carefully, we can destroy Ultima and still save Claire.'_

"We?" Mustadio swallowed hard. He saw a dim green light shining a few feet away, and as soon as he crawled over to the other end of the cavern, he held the Serpentarius auracite in his hands.

_'Don't worry, I promise not to harm you in any shape or form. Simply wield my Stone and allow me to handle the rest. With my power, Claire will be saved. You do want that, don't you? With Ffamran gone, you're the only—how did he always say it? Ah, yes. You, Mustadio, are the only leading man left. It is your job to save the 'damsel in distress', yes?'_

"But Ultima said that Lightning was gone..."

Ragnarok snorted. _'You can never trust the gods, boy. They believe that humes are naught more than puppets strung to their fingers, answering their every whim until fate takes them away. I would much rather be hume than a god, but we cannot always get what we want.'_

Ultima's shrilling scream replaced Ragnarok's sarcastic drawl for a short while until the clashing of swords returned. Mustadio clutched the auracite to his chest, looking all around.

_'Time is not on our side, I'm afraid. Quickly, boy. I will keep to my word and save Claire.'_

Mustadio bit his lower lip as he gazed upon the green stone, feeling its Mist and magick dance within his palm. With one last look to the figures above, he closed his eyes and let himself disappear, fading into a completely new realm.

**

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**

Empty.

When Lightning awoke after losing sight of herself, there was absolutely nothing around her. No light, darkness...Just an empty space. She figured that she was within her own mind, much like when she was possessed by Zalera's magick and under his control. Lightning smiled at the thought, wishing that she could go back to that time and change everything.

She wandered until she could no longer feel her legs, finally giving up and simply waiting for something to happen. There was no sound and no voice telling her that she was going to be all right. The feeling of warm arms protectively wrapped around her faded away as well, and Lightning knew that Balthier was no longer in her time. She only wished that she could have at least said good-bye.

"A fine predicament you've clawed yourself into, isn't it?"

Lightning whirled, facing the translucent form of an older man wearing long robes and knightly armor. "Excuse me?" she asked, eyebrows raised. "Who are you?"

The man laughed loudly. "Forgive me. I am Wiegraf Folles, vessel to the Lucavi Belias until your comrades ended my life days ago. I must admit that I did not expect to see you, Ultima's chosen host, lost in this realm. Ramza was so persistent to save everyone..."

"Where exactly is 'here'?"

A small hand touched her shoulder in a tender motion. Vanille, with a bright and pink smile as if she were still alive, walked up behind Lightning. "This is where the vessels to the Lucavi go when the gods have taken over their bodies, and when they have been defeated."

"Not my kind of place, but it's grown on me," Fang added bitterly. "Though, it's not much better than when we were crystallized. All we can do here is mope and pretend we're still amongst the livin'."

Delacroix and Folmarv joined them, along with Ramza's eldest brother Dycedarg. And so the vessels to Belias, Zalera and his shamaness, Cúchulainn, and Adrammelech were there with her, just as lost. Lightning looked to Vanille again, fearing the worst.

"Stuck here for eternity, right?"

The young geomancer shrugged. "I wouldn't say that. One day, even the gods will die. Nothing lasts forever."

"'cept for Etro," Fang chimed. "I don't think she'll ever kick the bucket. Been alive for thousands of years, her and Lindzei. At least Ragnarok's got Lindzei under control for the time bein'."

"If Ramza and the others find some way to defeat Ultima," Delacroix spoke deeply, "then I hope that our cages will be unlocked and we will be set free of this damnation."

"Damnation?" Lightning scowled. "You _chose_ this fate for yourself."

Dycedarg shook his head. "True, but it was not us who wanted Ultima to rise again. Our minds were clouded by the words of power over the Royals, thoughts of redemption and control over all of Ivalice. I, too, wished for this and my life was taken for it."

"There were other reasons," Folmarv interjected. "Hashmal spoke of the revenant of Saint Ajora, should the Virgo Stone be roused. With his arrival, Ivalice would begin anew and our world would change. Yet Saint Ajora is no longer Ultima's host. Nay, it is your flesh and blood, Eternal one."

Lightning clenched her fists and bit her tongue. "I never asked for this. I didn't choose to become an Eternal, and I sure as hell didn't ask to play host to my sister's twisted jealousy. All I ever wanted was to be _happy_...and all I've found is sorrow. I lost my final chance to save Balthier and be with him again."

"You knew this would someday happen, didn't you, Lightning?" Vanille asked, rubbing her thumb against Lightning's cool skin.

_"You're still you...The same old Light."_

_"Why wouldn't I be? Balthier, where have you been?"_

_"You'll find out, all in good time."_

"I didn't think he meant I'd become a monster. I just...I didn't want to think about the future," Lightning admitted. "But if Ultima is killed while in my body, what will happen to me?"

Wiegraf was smirking. "You're an Eternal. Surely a few stab wounds and magick-induced illnesses won't harm you."

"Not the answer I wanted, so I'll pretend I didn't hear it. I would much rather die than live for another few thousand years."

Fang clapped a hand on her shoulder, grinning like a mad cat. "I'm sure there are a few who would disagree with that, Lightnin'."

"If you're talking about all those ghosts that follow me around all the time, I'd be more than happy to help them move on. Just as long as I get to go with them."

Folmarv clicked his tongue. "So eager to welcome death, but so hesitant to leave behind the past...If you are to 'move on', as you say, then what do you believe will happen once you're gone?"

Lightning closed her eyes. She could still feel Vanille's hand on her arm, so warm and comforting. It was a shame that she, and the rest of them, were stuck in an empty realm all because they were trapped in the chains of the Lucavi—of Ultima. Serah, too, was trapped.

"Light!"

She opened her eyes, instantly wrapping her arms around Mustadio's frail frame the moment she saw him. He clung to her as if she was the only thing holding him in that world. Lightning ran her fingers through his ponytail, staring at his frightened expression.

"Mustadio!" she exclaimed. "Why are you here? You should be with the others, fighting Ultima..."

Folmarv chuckled as Mustadio slowly pulled away from her. "It would seem that he has chosen to become just like us: host to a god."

She grabbed the machinist by the shoulders, though he was just as translucent as the rest of them. But just as she touched him, she was slowly starting to fade away into the light. _What was happening? _"No, Mustadio...What have you done to yourself?"

"It is okay, Light," he smiled. "Ragnarok promised that I would come out of this all right. I trust him. Right now, he's fighting Ultima for us. He's going to save you. I'm going to save you, as well."

"But what if you die...?" Lightning shook her head again. "Why did you do this?"

She could no longer feel him beneath her fingertips, and as she returned to the realm of the living, the last thing she saw was the glow of a green light and Mustadio's face.

**

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**

Lightning was on her hands and knees when she felt the chilling and dead air of Cocoon around her. She looked up in time to see a blur of red and gray fly over her, tackling the angelic-like goddess poised at the other end of the cavern. Ultima, instead of wearing Lightning's face, now resembled a silver-haired Serah. And the beast defending the humes was Ragnarok. It was Ashe who first saw that Lightning had returned and quickly ran to her aid.

"Lightning, you're—well, you're you once more," the seeress sighed out of relief. Cidolfus rushed over as well, though he was clutching an oozing gash along his forearm. "When Balthier disappeared, I thought you to be lost as well."

"I was, for a while, until Ultima lost control over me when Ragnarok showed up." Lightning looked to the rest of her comrades, her heart sinking when she didn't see Mustadio among them. "How is everyone? No one's hurt too badly, right?"

Cidolfus allowed Ashe to heal his wound before speaking. "Ramza and Agrias have been using most of their strength defending Alma, while Mydia remains to be the stubborn warrior she is and has gone up against Ultima's demons alone. As for myself and Ashe, we went in search of the fallen Mustadio, only to find..." He trailed off, looking to the beast holding off Ultima's wrath.

"Ragnarok must have persuaded Mustadio into summoning him." Ashe stood, helping a slightly disorientated Lightning stand as well. "I had thought at first that it was Balthier who became the beast, but I know he has passed from this world. I can only hope Mustadio will survive this fight."

It didn't take her long to regain her senses, and when Cidolfus handed her gunblade to her, Lightning made a beeline for Ultima and Ragnarok. Ultima's bloodied eyes flickered in her direction, but it was not her voice that filled the squire's ears.

_'Claire, please help me...I don't want to hurt people anymore!'_

The voice stopped her in her tracks. "Serah!"

_'The Virgo Stone...It's what ties her to this world. Once it's destroyed, everything will be right again.'_

A growl rose from Lightning's throat as she raised her gunblade over her head, running toward the Lucavi goddess. Ragnarok clawed at one of her wings, and in an attempt to pull away from the goddess, it was flung aside by a burst of light magick. Lightning jumped into the air and pierced her sword into Ultima's chest, shattering the stone embedded in her skin. Mist spilled forth and forced the squire to fall against the wall, landing right beside Ragnarok's inert form.

She reached toward the beast's face, stroking it with a gentle finger. Ragnarok's form faded back into the Serpentarius stone and in its place lay Mustadio. He smiled as soon as Lightning met his gaze, and the two of them stood up from the ground as soon as the others ran to them.

"Had I...but more power..." Ultima wailed as she faded with the Mist.

As soon as Lightning looked to the others, the gathering of golden clouds increased in size. She shielded her eyes the moment a pillar of light erupted from the spot where Ultima once was, and soon all of Cocoon's crystal was obliterated.

**

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**

_It's okay, there's still one more chapter left before the epilogue! I have a bittersweet ending planned, remember? Have no fear!_


	21. Light

**Author's Note:** _Last chapter until the epilogue...Until my longest series ever is over. *sniffle*  
_

_The end is near, __**The Giant Daifuku**__, __**HopelessRomanticist**__ and __**Riku Uzumaki**__. I must give extra love to Mu, because she slaved over the third part of our Undead!Balthier and Eternal!Lightning crossovers last weekend. Each version is in our respective deleted scenes/drabbles series, so take a look and admire her dedication. :)_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Chapter Twenty-One

Light

"_A death much too soon. A fate truly unfair..._"

Lightning couldn't feel anything at first, but as she slowly came to, the warm feeling of a hand on her face welcomed her. Her eyes fluttered open to a young woman kneeling over her, and as Lightning slowly sat up, the rest of her comrades woke up as well. Mustadio clutched the Serpentarius stone to his chest as he inched closer to the squire.

"Etro," Lightning murmured. "I should have known you weren't out of my story just yet."

The goddess smiled. She took the form of an exact mirror image of the squire, though her overall appearance was lighter and holy. She looked upon all the dirtied faces staring at her, waiting for her to speak again. However, Mydia spoke up first.

"If we are in your realm, then that must mean..." The Feol viera's lips curled upward. "We have failed in our task."

"What?" Mustadio swerved and looked toward Ashe. "Is this true? Are we really...dead?"

"This is where I have gone many times before," she answered quietly. "This is where the dead go to pass on."

Frowning, Lightning touched the auracite stone around her neck and sighed. All her life she had longed to see this place, and now that she had finally found it, she wasn't certain of what to do next. Mustadio was waiting for her to say something, she knew it, but she couldn't face him. It was her fault that everyone died.

"_You have done Ivalice a great favor,_" Etro said in a tender voice. "_Though this world has already fallen down a dark path, there is still hope yet. But Ivalice still needs her heroes._"

Ramza kept an arm around Agrias' shoulders. Alma was huddled close to his other side. "The Lucavi have been destroyed. Ivalice will not require the aid of men and women any longer. Our time to pass has come."

"_Not so. I have seen your heroism, Ramza Beoulve. We gods smile upon yourself and your comrades._" Etro stood, her white dress flowing to her feet. "_It is not often that I give a second chance at life without the toll of losing the life of another...But this once, I shall give that chance to all of you, should you wish it._"

"Then I must choose otherwise," Ashe said, smiling. "I am no longer tied to their Stones nor Ultima's life. I long to be with my King, if that is no burden for you, my goddess."

"_He waits for you now. All those caught in the web of the High Seraph are now ready to leave at peace. Your King and the rest of your allies await your revenant._"

The seeress turned, taking Lightning's hands in her own. "Thank you, Lightning," she whispered. "You promised me that you would save Ivalice, and I think you have done just that. I knew you were destined for greatness the day I met you on the _Leviathan_." Ashe looked to the others and grinned; she almost reminded Lightning of Snow, for a moment. "It has been an honor to fight at your side, but now it is mine time to pass. Take care of my home in my absence."

A bright light mystified behind Etro, and waiting within the clouds were the humes Lightning had come to trust more than anyone. Fran flicked an ear at the eyes watching her in awe, while Vaan and Penelo happily greeted their old friend. Basch was smiling, glad to see his Queen again, and close to him were Sazh and Hope, laughing as usual. Even Serah, no longer a fiendish goddess seeking revenge, was there. But standing with a big grin on his young face and holding out his hand was Snow. Tears forming at the corners of her eyes, Ashe took his outstretched hand and followed his lead. He glanced at Lightning, nodding, and disappeared into the light.

But the Door didn't fade when they moved on. Someone clasped Lightning's shoulder with a warm hand, chuckling amusingly. Ragnarok tilted his head to the side when she noticed his presence. She smiled, resting her hand on his.

"Aren't you going along, too?" she asked.

"_Actually, I plan on staying in Ivalice for a while longer_," Ragnarok answered confidently. Lindzei was wrapped around his neck, hissing pleasantly. "_I am eager to take on the role of this realm's guardian. Someone needs to watch over you humes, and if Etro can't protect Ivalice, I might as well do the job for a while._"

"Are you sure? I thought you'd want to move on, finally."

"_Have you learned nothing from me all these years? Being Ivalice's protector, not only will I have humes worshiping me, but I can almost pretend that I am just as they._"

Lightning rubbed her thumb against his skin. "You just can't resist the chance to frighten all the foolish headhunters coming to face the Serpent Bearer."

"_Think of it as payment for all the trouble they gave Ffamran years ago._"

As Ragnarok moved to her side, Etro was intently watching Lightning, and upon seeing this, Mustadio urgently moved closer to the squire.

"_You, too, have the choice to leave this life, my Eternal_," Etro chimed lowly. "_Your chains are lifted, your gift is spent, and your spirit is free. But fear not: the one you long for is there._"

"Then I guess I shouldn't keep him waiting." Lightning made to walk forward, but Mustadio clenched her hand tightly. He was staring at her with so very sad eyes, longing for the chance to convince her change her mind. The others, too, were awaiting her decision, but none bore the desperate look he did. "Mustadio," she started to say, but she was lost for words. She never expected to get this far.

"You could stay," Mustadio whimpered. "You could stay here with me."

She cast her gaze downward. "I've waited so long for this, Mustadio. Ever since Balthier died, all I wanted was for the gods to take pity on me and pull me away from this fate." Lightning looked up, running her hand across his cheek. "I can't stay here. This world doesn't need me anymore. It's your turn to take charge as the leading man. Right?"

"He won't be the same without his leading lady."

Unclipping her auracite necklace, Lightning slipped it around Mustadio's neck and smiled comfortingly at him. "I think that's up to you to figure out on your own. But, it's just like we said...We're not alone anymore."

Mustadio motionlessly wrapped his arms around her, and for once she wasn't terribly overwhelmed by the warmer temperature of his skin. In fact, it was almost...pleasant. She carefully held him close and shut her eyes, praying that just for a while nothing else would matter. If only the circumstances were different...If only.

She moved away from him, her hands lingering on his cheeks for a moment before she turned around and faced the others. They all wore similar expressions, but Lightning knew they understood. True, Cidolfus wouldn't be pleased to lose his apprentice, but he would eventually understand. He met her sparkling eyes and nodded once, smirking proudly. Lightning found Mustadio's wishful expression and touched his hand one last time before facing Etro and Ragnarok.

The Door was beckoning her, gently pulling at her soul. Lightning kept smiling, closed her eyes and walked on.


	22. Epilogue: Fold Your Wings

**Author's Note:** _The epilogue title is derived from the song _It's About Time_ by Barcelona; Mu recommended it to me, and I've been hooked on it since. :)__ And now, I bring you the finale to my Starstruck series...  
_

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**T** i m e ' s **S** c a r

Epilogue

Fold Your Wings

Apart from the lingering remnants of dew upon the leaves and branches that would occasionally drip onto his head, Mustadio almost considered the weather to be quite fair. He walked with a leisurely pace through the thickets and towering trees, wrinkling his nose in frustration. Pausing, he stretched out the map and examined its lines. Ah, of course - he made a wrong turn back at the fork in the path. Ramza needed to improve his mapping skills, lest he wanted his comrades to get lost in the wilderness.

"Then again," Mustadio murmured as he folded the map and stuffed it into his belt's pouch. "He _is_ descended from a King that wasn't the most brightest of men..."

As he continued on his way, the dawn was slowly dissipating into the mid-day haze, and the wild creatures in the prairie just outside the forest were finally settling down for their afternoon hibernation. It would have been nice to have a long, needed rest after so much traveling, but there were more pressing matters at hand. Ramza, Agrias and Alma must have been getting impatient by now, if they were already there.

Mustadio had received a letter with the map attached in the mail just the day before. It had only been a short time since he'd seen any of his comrades, though he couldn't help but be curious about what they had been doing since the parting of the ways. He knew that Cidolfus and Mydia were off on yet another Hunt, chasing some fiend called the Jabberwock or some such. But Ramza, Agrias and Alma's whereabouts had been unknown to him - until now, of course.

"Ah, Mustadio," Ramza greeted as soon as the machinist stumbled out from behind the bushes. "We were wondering how long t'would take you to find us."

"Next time, please let Agrias send me directions," Mustadio grumbled. "The chocobo-scratch you call your penmanship is hardly legible."

Alma stifled her laugh, peering out from behind her elder brother. "We were only trying to remain as out of sight as possible. Orran Durai caught sight of us after we visited my grave site."

"He did? Well, why didn't you say something to him? We can't go on pretending we're all among the dead for much longer."

"It truly is for the best, though," Ramza added. "The Church still claims us to be heretics. If we were to show our faces now, we would surely be put to the stake and burned."

Mustadio frowned, crossing his arms. "The moment the corrupted Church falls, I will gladly walk into the Hunting Clans and tear down all the bounty signs. Can you believe that the bounties for Light and Balthier are still up?"

In disbelief, Agrias nodded once. "A shame, isn't it? Even in death, there is still a price on their heads."

They walked further into the forest until they reached a clearing, where two headstones stood in the very center. Agrias was the first to walk forward, setting down a single crimson rose between the graves. One bore the name Ffamran mied Bunansa, while the other had the name Lady Claire Bunansa engraved. Mustadio bit his lower lip, kneeling down in front of the stones and sighing heavily.

"Do you think they're happy now?" Alma asked, tugging at the crimson trench coat around her shoulders. "I mean, they are together in the afterlife."

"And that was exactly what Lady Claire longed for," Ramza agreed. He gingerly admired the ragnarok blade as he held it out. "The task of protecting Ivalice has been bestowed upon us, and it is our duty to follow the wishes of our ancestors."

Agrias shifted her gaze downward. "I can only hope that my Lady Ovelia is in good hands."

Other than the musical chirps and chimes of the avions in the trees, a silence overcame the group of four. Mustadio fidgeted with the auracite necklace, twirling it between two fingers as he looked upon the headstones. Ramza was right - this was exactly what Lightning wanted. But she had been right, too. They weren't alone anymore, were they?

"I'm certain Cidolfus and Mydia will show up one of these days," Agrias stated. "Though I do remember him saying that after they were to slay the Jabberwock, they would visit Midlight's Deep, hoping to lead the headhunters down there."

"Won't Ragnarok be pleased," Mustadio said with a slight chuckle. "Scaring the wits out of foolish men is his newest hobby."

"Just be glad he is on our side. I would hate to see how cruel he can be."

While the three continued to ponder over Ragnarok's fondness for torturing the corrupted, Mustadio tenderly placed his hand on top of Lightning's headstone. The writing was barely a week old, and already it was fading. But it didn't matter, did it? All of history would someday fade, now that the Eternal race was no longer in existence. Yet he was still comforted by the thought; someday, he too would join her in the afterlife. And when that day came, he would truly be happy.

"We should move along, now, shouldn't we?" Alma asked. "Your father must be worrying about you, Mustadio." The machinist looked up.

"Perhaps. Where will you go, pray tell?"

"We make for Midlight's Deep, as well. Ramza is curious to hear more of our ancestors from one who had a...bit different view of the past."

Mustadio grinned. "Yes, quite different."

They soon parted ways once more, though Mustadio remained behind and stood over the graves for a few more moments. The wind blew gently and whistled through the emerald trees, and the clouds overhead moved at a passive pace. He looked toward the sky, smiling faintly.

"Someday, Light. Someday I'll see you again."

**

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**

_They were not seen again. Orran Durai was left to ponder the mark they had left on history's page._

_"I know not of what brings men joy. Of what drives them to great deeds, of what legacies they hope to leave, I know less yet. But I do know this: the true heroine of this tale was a woman forgotten."_

_Orran would spend the next half-decade assembling an account of all to which he had borne witness. His work complete, Orran presented this account, the Durai Papers, before the Clemensian Council, then convened for the selection of a new High Confessor._

_However, the Church, fearing above all else the revelation of truth, seized Orran as a heretic and burnt him at the stake. The pen that inked them forever stilled, the Papers then lay hidden for long centuries, forgotten even by the church that had concealed them._

_But I have found the truth, and so lay it for all to see. That her deeds might guide generations to come, that her name might receive the honor of its due._

_Arazlam Durai_

_Author of the Zodiac Brave Story_

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The sound of waves crashing against the cliff side filled her ears, and Lightning slowly smiled as soft and delicate fingers caressed her cheek. The figure drew away when she opened her eyes, the bright light of the sun glittering behind the shadow. The familiar charming and breathtaking smirk stole away any of her worries that remained in the back of her mind.

Balthier hadn't changed at all. His brash, young appearance reminded her of when they first met; so brave, confident and _happy_. The way he was looking at her made it seem as if everything was back to the way it was meant to be. At least, now, neither of them were damned. At least, now, they were together.

_Finally_.

He held out his hand, and when she took hold of it, the warmth of his skin didn't surprise her and he didn't wince at the touch of her cold hand. As Lightning stood, she paused for a moment to hold his face, running her gentle hands down his cheeks. Balthier chuckled quietly, holding her wrists and shaking his head.

Tilting her eyes to the blissful and peaceful land around them, and wondering whether this was just another dream, she met his intense gaze once more, smiling. No, this was no longer a dream.

This was real.

**The end.**

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**_Back in August, when I started writing _So Starstruck_, I didn't think it would go past two stories. Three, four...Five stories, and it's finally done. Before it would take me a year to finish one story, but this series was so much fun to write, I couldn't stop. Ah, but now t'is done._

_Of course I'll be going through withdrawals, but thankfully my next few stories will satisfy my need for crossovers. The one I'm looking forward to the most is my spin off to this series:_ This Fate_. The information on that one is posted on my profile page, as well as my livejournal account. My other stories, too, like the FFIV__/FFXII and Alice in Wonderland, 2010/FFXII crossovers will be just as exciting as this one. :) _

_I must thank all my friends who supported me through this series: **The Giant Daifuku**, **HopelessRomanticist**, **Riku Uzumaki**, **Joshua Chung** and **frankannestein**. Without you guys, I would probably still be working on the first story in this series. There wouldn't have been so many sequels, either. I love you guys very, very much. :)_

_Until next time~_

_-Cherri.  
_


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